Nationwide pet retailer Jollyes cordoned off in-store small animal pens and station colleagues without a mobile phone close to those barriers on Sunday (April 23). The move was taken because the government planned to test its new mobile phone emergency alert system.

Jollyes is concerned that hundreds of phones issuing a siren at the same time during trading hours, could startle its small animals.

Jollyes will also warn customers in-store ahead of the 3pm broadcast that the alert is coming, so they can quickly acknowledge the message on their phones and stop the siren.

Jollyes’ retail director Craig Smith said:  “We understand why the government needs to test its new warning system, but we’re concerned that doing so in trading hours may startle any small animals – especially rabbits in store.  We’ve asked our store colleagues to do what they can to minimise any noise.”

Rabbits are able to hear different sounds far more clearly than humans -  and loud noises can unsettle them.  The sound of fireworks, a loud bang from a gun, or even a vacuum can be terrifying for a rabbit.

Rabbits are highly tuned to their surroundings, especially sounds and are conditioned to sense danger in a variety of ways. They have powerful hearing skills and have the ability to move quickly and avoid being attacked. Doing so makes them jittery and easily afraid, but it also helps them to survive.

A rabbit’s sense of fear is a survival tactic. Therefore, it’s easy for a rabbit to get nervous and frightened, especially during noisy conditions.