Although rabbits have been a pest in New Zealand since they were introduced more than 150 years ago, cute little bunnies are perennially popular with children.
But what happens when the kids get bored with them, and the bunnies have nowhere to go?
A rabbit rescuer based in the Auckland suburb of Botany Downs who has accumulated a vet bill of $10,000 says change is needed to protect rabbits.
Raining Rabbits Rescue founder Jojo Nally saved bunnies left in derelict conditions, and took them to the vet to get them fixed up.
"I can't sleep at night if I know that there's rabbits that I haven't helped," Nally said.
In just over a year, her charity had taken in more than 200 rabbits - many severely neglected by breeders or owners, or dumped on the roadside where they were easy prey for feral cats.
When it came to the mistreatment of rabbits, Nally had seen it all.
"The one that always stands out is Chloe, who was tied up by her neck out on a property that wasn't fully fenced.
"She was being fed bread, and at night-time she was being put in a freezer-box. Obviously it wasn't turned on, but it was closed, so it was completely dark.
"That's what horror stories are made of for rabbits."
By the time rabbits were rescued, they often required urgent treatment, Nally said.
She and her team of 60 volunteers took care of the rabbits until they were ready for adoption.
But that care - including vaccination, desexing, and other surgeries - did not come cheap.
A well-kept rabbit could live up to 14 years, but children often got bored with them, one vet said. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Since Nally took her first bunny into CareVets Mt Wellington during lockdown last year, her charity had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on vet bills.
While she had a good relationship with the vets, there was a limit to the goodwill.
Raining Rabbits currently had an outstanding bill of about $10,000, meaning CareVets had to put a pause on treatments.
Nally said the clinic could not continue treating the rabbits until that bill had at least halved.
Jojo Nally is the founder of Raining Rabbits Rescue in the Auckland suburb of Botany Downs. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
CareVets' Dr Kezia Lockhart said that as a charity, Raining Rabbits was given some leniency on payments.
"But ultimately, we still need to pay for the drugs and everything involved."
Dr Lockhart said rabbits were some of the most neglected pets she saw as a vet.
People had serious misunderstandings about how to care for pet rabbits, including the amount of space they required, she said.
"Unfortunately, often they're put in a kind of hutch that you can buy from the pet shop."
Dr Lockhart said rabbits were social creatures and needed a fenced-off area with room to run around and 'binky' [a jump-and-twist typical of happy bunnies].
There was a misconception that rabbits were cheap pets, but specific medications and equipment meant they could be more expensive than dogs or cats, she said.
Rabbits could live a lot longer than people realised - 10-14 years for a well-kept rabbit, Dr Lockhart said.
"Very often, children get bored of them and then parents don't know what to do with them."
Jojo Nally has a team of 60 volunteers who take care of the rabbits until they are ready for adoption. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Raining Rabbits Rescue had a Givealittle page that had raised more than $6000 so far, with all proceeds paying off the vet bills.
Nally was grateful to those who had helped to keep the charity afloat, but said more could be done to protect bunnies in the first place.
She said a code of welfare for rabbits could go a long way towards ending their mistreatment - hopefully meaning fewer ended up on her doorstep.
SPCA scientific officer Alison Vaughan said while rabbits were often thought of as easy pets, they required specific care.
Although there was no current code of welfare for rabbits, the SPCA science team had submitted a draft code to the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee for consideration.
Vaughan said the SPCA was concerned about New Zealand's oversupply of companion animals.
"The excessive, uncontrolled breeding of companion animals is an important contributing factor in creating New Zealand's widespread stray and unwanted animal problems, which leads to negative welfare impacts and negative impacts on the environment."
