Ottawa Humane Society warns of 'rabbit crisis'
The Ottawa Humane Society is hoping you'll hop on over to adopt a new bunny, as it deals with what it calls a "rabbit crisis."
Close to 20 rabbits are waiting for adoption at the humane society.
“The Ottawa Humane Society is alerting the community to a burgeoning bunny crisis in Ottawa and the province," said the Ottawa Humane Society on Thursday.
"Shelters across Ontario — and even in other parts of North America — are seeing a growing bunny population with few homes willing to adopt the rabbits."
The humane society says one contributing factor to the exploding bunny population may be new rabbit owners are unaware that like cats and dogs, rabbits should be sterilized.
President Bruce Roney says every rabbit is spayed and neutered at the Ottawa Humane Society before it's adopted.
The Ottawa Humane Society never turns away an animal, but when the shelter population grows, intake may be delayed for a few days or several weeks. The humane society says due to COVID-19 restrictions, a large number of rabbits are currently on the waitlist for adoption.
“I do worry that if we’re unable to immediately admit a rabbit, that the owner might consider something drastic like releasing their pet outside,” said Roney. “This is possibly the worst case scenario as that rabbit has gone from being safe in a home on a waitlist to be admitted to the OHS, to being in danger and in immediate need of shelter care.”
Visit the Ottawa Humane Society's website for information on adopting a rabbit from the OHS or becoming a foster volunteer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.