Happy Rabbit project aimed at improving pet welfare
Two Dutch groups have launched the Happy Rabbit project which encourages staff at pet shops and garden centres to tell potential owners how to take better care of their pets.
The organisations – animal welfare group Dierenbescherming and pet trade association Dibevo – say better information could also prevent people buying a rabbit on impulse, they say.
Rabbits are currently the fourth most popular pet in the Netherlands – there are some 1.2 million of them living in Dutch households – but owners are often unaware of their needs, the organisations say. According to their research, some 63% of rabbits are living alone.
The groups call their cooperation with the pet shop industry ‘quite unique’. But in the end the health and well-being of animals is an interest both partners have in common.
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