Rabbit relinquishment to two UK rescue centres and beyond

Rabbits are a popular pet in the UK with an estimated one million being kept. Concern has been raised about the standards of care afforded to pet rabbits and a 2012 survey suggested that 67,000 rabbits are handed over to rescue centres each year, possibly due to owners losing interest. To determine reasons for rabbit relinquishment a survey was conducted of two UK rescue centres that take rabbits. For a one year period (2013) the centres reported information about the rabbits individual characterises (gender, age, neutered status, colour) and reasons that were given for relinquishing the rabbit. As rescue centres are not the only method used to relinquish rabbits, a public, online survey collected data from 1250 participants to determine how common it was for pets to be relinquished and what methods of relinquishment were used, (i.e. rescue centres, adverts, friends, family and colleagues etc.). A small sample of participants (n=20) were invited to answer further questions on their experiences in giving up rabbits specifically. Results show that rescue centres are not the most commonly used method to relinquish rabbits (or other pets) and common factors affecting relinquishment to rescue centres are different to reasons given by respondents to an anonymous online survey. Risk factors for pet rabbit relinquishment are also presented

Why and how should we assess pet rabbit personality?

Domestic rabbits have received relatively little attention for personality and temperament research to date, despite being a popular pet in the UK. The field of animal personality research is still in its infancy and there is much discussion around appropriate methods of assessing personality, due in part to the many reasons for exploring this phenomenon, for example, for cross species comparisons or assessing an animal’s suitability for a particular role or job. Domestic rabbits make an interesting candidate for personality studies due to their domestication being predominantly influenced by a desire for morphological or physical traits, rather than for behavioural characteristics, as with domestic dogs. Additionally, rabbits appear to be relinquished by their owners in high numbers and a recent survey suggested that one reason for this was difficultly in bonding a newly acquired rabbit to a current pet. Personality studies may help to raise owner awareness of a rabbit’s individual characteristics, which may support the formation of a human-animal bond which may reduce relinquishment, and support owners to select a suitable rabbit when acquiring a companion for a currently owned rabbit. In addition to making a case for personality assessments being needed at the point of acquiring pet rabbits, the presentation will review companion animal personality studies and describe methods currently being developed for the assessment of personality and temperament in pet rabbits

Decapods as food, companions and research animals: Legal impact of ascribing sentience

This commentary provides an overview of the practical implications of attributing sentience to protect decapods as food, companion and research animals in the UK context. Recognising their capacity to suffer has implications for humane slaughter in farming and fishing sectors. It should also place a greater duty of care on owners of captive decapods, considering their needs and avoiding unnecessary suffering. The recognition of decapod sentience should also have an impact on their protection as research animals, although research with a potential to cause suffering may be needed to better understand decapods’ capacity to suffer

Decapods as food, companions and research animals: Legal impact of ascribing sentience

This commentary will provide an overview of the practical implications of ascribing sentience to decapods in their protection as food, companion and research animals focusing on UK context. Recognising their capacity to suffer has implications for humane slaughter in farming and fishing sectors. Furthermore, it should place a greater duty of care on owners of captive decapods, including consideration of their needs and avoidance of unnecessary suffering. Finally, recognition of decapods as sentient animals should impact their protection as research animals, although research with potential to cause suffering may be required to further understand decapods’ capacity to suffer

Analysis of factors relating to pet rabbits relinquished to two UK re-homing centres

Rabbits are a common companion animal in the UK and some reports suggest that large numbers are relinquished to re-homing centres each year. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of rabbits relinquished to two UK re-homing centres and explore reasons given for relinquishment. The centres contributed data for all rabbits that entered their centre during 2013 (n=205). Most rabbits (59.5%) were relinquished by an owner. A similar number of males to females were relinquished and a larger number of rabbits were not neutered (72.4%) and adults (56%). Most rabbits were healthy on arrival (61.5%). The most common reasons for relinquishment were: too many rabbits / unplanned litters (30.3%) and housing problems (23.8%). Rabbit related reasons accounted for 12.2% of rabbits relinquished. Reasons for relinquishment were associated with one of the recorded rabbit characteristics. Further detailed studies are needed to explore the dynamics of pet rabbit ownership and factors that affect the breakdown of rabbit-owner relationships in the UK

Causes of livestock vehicle accidents in the UK and the consequences for the animals involved

Livestock vehicle accidents can have devastating consequences for the welfare of animals being transported yet little is known about the characteristics of these accidents in the UK. This study obtained details of 207 livestock vehicle accidents that occurred in the UK between 2003-2013 from internet media reports and archive newspaper records. A highly significant difference (P<0.005) was found in the frequency of accidents at different times of the day with 43% occurring between 7am and 11am. A significant difference (P<0.005) was also found in the distribution of accidents throughout the year with notable increases in October and November. Cattle were involved in the most accidents (41%), followed by sheep (26%), pigs (15%) and chickens (15%). Accurate livestock casualty numbers could not be obtained, but the results indicated the vast majority of animals killed were chickens. The majority of accidents only involved the livestock vehicle (78%), with large transporters being involved in most incidents (72%). There was a highly significant difference (P<0.001) in the causes of accidents with overturning being the main reason; caused by a sudden and substantial shift in livestock position. All livestock are at risk in large transporters; whilst cattle face additional risks when towed in trailers behind 4x4 vehicles. Two factors contribute to overturning accidents; poor driving style and commercial livestock vehicle design. Driving style can be improved through training and reduced pressure on drivers, whilst better vehicle design can be achieved by adopting new technologies and changing some industry practice

Decapods as food, companions and research animals: Legal impact of ascribing sentience

This commentary provides an overview of the practical implications of attributing sentience to protect decapods as food, companion and research animals in the UK context. Recognising their capacity to suffer has implications for humane slaughter in farming and fishing sectors. It should also place a greater duty of care on owners of captive decapods, considering their needs and avoiding unnecessary suffering. The recognition of decapod sentience should also have an impact on their protection as research animals, although research with a potential to cause suffering may be needed to better understand decapods’ capacity to suffer

Measuring personality in companion animals

Research into companion animal personality has increased in the last few decades with researchers investigating animal characteristics to match them to suitable owners, identify potentially dangerous behavioural patterns and also in comparative studies with other species. Dogs are the most commonly studied companion animal in this field, leaving a gap in understanding of the personality domains that may exist in other species and a lack of robust tools to assess personality in other species. Common methods used to assess personality include subjective ratings and behavioural observations in home and novel environments. It has been highlighted by others that there are currently issues with interpretation of terminology used, with several terms being used interchangeably. Additionally, methodologies differ greatly from one study to the next, making comparisons between studies challenging. From this review a case is presented for a bottom-up approach for attempting to measure personality domains in companion rabbits

Do domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) show individual consistency in their response to being handled?

Handling is a common rabbit husbandry activity required for moving the animal, grooming, and checking the animal’s health. It has been suggested that as a prey species they may experience fear as a result of interacting with humans. However, there has been relatively little research exploring any potential negative implications for handling companion rabbits. The present data was collected as part of a larger study exploring individual differences in behavioural expression of domestic rabbits. Behavioural responses to being approached, being picked up and being held were recorded in 22 domestic rabbits, using a subjective rating scale. Rabbits were scored by three raters at each of six handling sessions to look for consistencies over time. Raters were generally consistent in their scoring of rabbit reactions. The results also indicate that the rabbits were consistent over time for some of the measures observed, and individual rabbit scores for being approached and being picked up were correlated (February observations p<0.001, rho 0.710, n=18 and October observations p=0.026, rho 0.537, n=17). There is further work to be done to identify sensitive and reliable measures of individual consistencies in rabbit behaviour