releasing a pet bunny into the wild

falabo

I would like to have your opinions about this:

conversation with a work colleague

me: - by the way how is your little bunny doing these days ?

him/her: - we have to get rid of him, we moved house and no pets allowed

me - oh that's sad did you find a good home for him ?

him/her : no we just let him free in a park

needless to say I was gobsmacked, I can't believe how many people don't have a clue about animals. I tried to explain to this person that a pet bunny has ZERO chance of survival

I don't know much about rabbits but this would be common sense to me.

I would like the opinion from experts here, would a pet bunny have any chance of survival to be released in the Phoenix Park ?

I tried to explain to my colleague the bunny had zero chance but he/she wouldn't buy it

Please tell me I'm wrong .fuming

Nody

You're not wrong and your collegue is to be frank a moron.

A2LUE42

falabo wrote: »

I would like to have your opinions about this:

conversation with a work colleague

me: - by the way how is your little bunny doing these days ?

him/her: - we have to get rid of him, we moved house and no pets allowed

me - oh that's sad did you find a good home for him ?

him/her : no we just let him free in a park

needless to say I was gobsmacked, I can't believe how many people don't have a clue about animals. I tried to explain to this person that a pet bunny has ZERO chance of survival

I don't know much about rabbits but this would be common sense to me.

I would like the opinion from experts here, would a pet bunny have any chance of survival to be released in the Phoenix Park ?

I tried to explain to my colleague the bunny had zero chance but he/she wouldn't buy it

Please tell me I'm wrong .fuming

Did they flush the goldfish down the toilet so they could make their way back to the sea too?

westies4ever

poor bunny; hasnt a hope

OldNotWIse

Disgusting. He wouldn't have lasted an hour. Are your neighbours 6?

Dogs, cats, foxes, cars... <snip>

Tonyandthewhale

When you said 'work colleague' did you instead mean to say '4 year old nephew' for instance?

miezekatze

It's shocking how many people think it's OK to do things like that. Poor bunny!

bumper234

falabo wrote: »

I would like to have your opinions about this:

conversation with a work colleague

me: - by the way how is your little bunny doing these days ?

him/her: - we have to get rid of him, we moved house and no pets allowed

me - oh that's sad did you find a good home for him ?

him/her : no we just let him free in a park

needless to say I was gobsmacked, I can't believe how many people don't have a clue about animals. I tried to explain to this person that a pet bunny has ZERO chance of survival

I don't know much about rabbits but this would be common sense to me.

I would like the opinion from experts here, would a pet bunny have any chance of survival to be released in the Phoenix Park ?

I tried to explain to my colleague the bunny had zero chance but he/she wouldn't buy it

Please tell me I'm wrong .fuming

**** fuming report the **** to the ISPCA:mad:

dodderangler

I have seen them survive though
Planets have survived and created more rabbits.
They done the wrong thing no doubt about it but plenty have survived.

Prodigious

OldNotWIse wrote: »

Disgusting. He wouldn't have lasted an hour. Are your neighbours 6?

Dogs, cats, foxes, cars...

<Snip: Watch your language in this forum thank you.Report the post if you have an issue with it, do not attack the poster>

starviewadams

Saw a black and white pet rabbit in amongst the hoardes of wild rabbits in Corkagh Park for a good few weeks last summer,seemed a decent weight too.

Wonder how long he lasted?or if he's still about.

endacl

It's interesting to see some species that do survive and thrive. Budgie flocks in the uk for example. Released and escaped birds find each other and do quite well. Or the tabloid scandal about red eared terrapins terrorising pond life in London parks.

Some releases pets do quite well. Some in a harmless way, nd some in ways that could potentially decimate local ecosystems. Not bunnies though. They just become a handy snack.

Korvanica

endacl wrote: »

Some releases pets do quite well. Some in a harmless way, nd some in ways that could potentially decimate local ecosystems. Not bunnies though. They just become a handy snack.

The Chazwazer comes to mind here

Still though, of all the animals id say a bunny has the lowest chance of survival.

Ms Tootsie

That is disgusting. It is the equivalent of dumping a dog at the side of the road!

endacl

kaza2710 wrote: »

That is disgusting. It is the equivalent of dumping a dog at the side of the road!

Not really. A dog has a chance of being rescued, due to its innate 'dogginess'. Or of surviving on its own wits. When did you last see a rabbit in a field and think 'there goes somebody's pet'?

Ms Tootsie

What I was insinuating is that while they maintain they are 'releasing it into the wild' it is far from it and is essentially dumping the poor thing.

fredweena

Some wild populations have coloured rabbits in them. Shows that some do survive. On a side note we once had a hamster that outwitted my dad and escaped. He was still alive, around the backyard four days later. We were so amazed we tried to see how long he would last so we left him out there. (Only kidding, we got him back in).

Gloomtastic!

Had a Guinea Pig when I was a kid that escaped and lived in a nearby ditch with wild rabbits for a couple years. Used to glimpse it every now and then before it darted back into the ditch.

Also had a tortoise that escaped. It was found about a mile away a few months later but by the time I got there it had disappeared again!!

dodderangler

fredweena wrote: »

Some wild populations have coloured rabbits in them. Shows that some do survive..

Not entirely
Not many people know it but the likes of black rabbits or black and white rabbits in the wild are often mistaken as pet rabbits that are released... Not totally true. In most cases coloured rabbits are the result of a exploded rabbit population and the result of so many rabbits in an area is inbreeding and this is where black or different coloured rabbits come from.

Fitzg

This is awful OP I'd find it hard to keep my temper with someone who'd acted so ignorantly and was so blasé about it. Let's hope they don't get any more pets. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6166113.stm

Kinzig

dodderangler wrote: »

Not entirely
Not many people know it but the likes of black rabbits or black and white rabbits in the wild are often mistaken as pet rabbits that are released... Not totally true. In most cases coloured rabbits are the result of a exploded rabbit population and the result of so many rabbits in an area is inbreeding and this is where black or different coloured rabbits come from.

Rabbits were once kept in warrens after their introduction, they were primarily a food source but their fur was also used..other rabbits were introduced that were a different colour in order to up the quality of the fur..and black rabbits were introduced to the warrens to be used as indicators of predation..the thinking being that if a brown rabbit were taken it would be difficult for the warrener to spot but when the black one went missing it was more obvious that a predator was at work..hence the reason for different colours springing up from time to time..

BanzaiBk

As a bunny owner I am horrified. Poor bun

Lawrence1895

As if it was so impossible to find a house where pets are allowed. The poor little bunny

Lamina

falabo wrote: »

I would like to have your opinions about this:

conversation with a work colleague

me: - by the way how is your little bunny doing these days ?

him/her: - we have to get rid of him, we moved house and no pets allowed

me - oh that's sad did you find a good home for him ?

him/her : no we just let him free in a park

needless to say I was gobsmacked, I can't believe how many people don't have a clue about animals. I tried to explain to this person that a pet bunny has ZERO chance of survival

I don't know much about rabbits but this would be common sense to me.

I would like the opinion from experts here, would a pet bunny have any chance of survival to be released in the Phoenix Park ?

I tried to explain to my colleague the bunny had zero chance but he/she wouldn't buy it

Please tell me I'm wrong .fuming

Domestic rabbits can survive in the wild, they are the same species as the wild rabbits (Europeon rabbit) and can actually breed with them too. Since it's a domesticated rabbit though, it wouldn't have the ''street smarts'' of wild rabbits. If it was left undisturbed by predators (including humans, some little scum bag will probably end up killing it) and traffic, it would live away fine for awhile. If it's lucky, it will last a few months before being killed by something.

If anyone does come across this rabbit in the Phoenix Park, try using food to coax it to you and catch it.

Fitzg

but wouldn't the rabbits in the existing population be territorial and fight with or chase the abandoned bunny away? surely it would smell weird to them? even if its biologically possible for an abandoned pet rabbit to mate with wild rabbits isn't it unlikely?
I live near the Phoenix Park - do you know what the rabbit looks like OP? or when and where it was left?

arybvtcw0eolkf

Serious question, why would the rabbit not survive being left in the wild.

Karl Stein

Anabelle Bewildered Column wrote: »

Serious question, why would the rabbit not survive being left in the wild.

Pet rabbit is to wild rabbit as Chihuahua is to Wolf.

endacl

Fitzg wrote: »

I live near the Phoenix Park - do you know what the rabbit looks like?

I'm guessing fluffy, long ears, and about the size of a rabbit?

kylith

Anabelle Bewildered Column wrote: »

Serious question, why would the rabbit not survive being left in the wild.

It could be attacked by wild rabbits. If they accept it in the warren it's likely to catch a disease. It would be easy pickings for predators, not having had experience of them.

It's possible for it to survive, but not terribly likely. I've heard of a colony of released rabbits down by St. Patrick's Cathedral but, if they are there, it's a lot more sheltered than Pheonix park.