Please feel free to copy and/or rewrite this letter to your liking and distribute it to whomever you think may be able to help effect a change in the plight of Easter rabbits everywhere.

An open letter to the clergy regarding Easter:

To whomever this may concern:

        I am writing in regard to the plight of rabbits that is the direct result of the Easter Bunny myth. Theirs is a story of sadness, heartbreak, and ignorance. People get these animals on a whim, believing they are celebrating a part of their faith. The results are almost invariably miserable lives of neglected animals once these people realize that a rabbit is a living being that requires constant care.

        Easter rabbits tend to live short, miserable lives. They are a fun novelty for the family for the first few days, but then the cleaning and care-taking and feeding and everything else become too much of a problem for the family. As a result, most rabbits tend to be neglected, sometimes they are condemned to living in outdoor hutches, exposed to the elements and in constant fear from predators who try to get at them. Time and time again we see these animals brought into shelters after living with too much neglect, and there is nothing we can do but euithanize these wonderful animals, because someone else didn't care..

        Private individuals have tried to educate the public on this matter. Rabbit rescue groups and shelters have tried to educate the public. Pet stores, such as PetCo, have tried to educate the public. All to no avail. People still believe that getting a baby rabbit for Easter is the thing to do, and in only a few weeks, shelters begin overflowing with these poor animals who are no longer wanted.

        I truly believe that it has come time for the clergy members to address this issue with their congregations. I feel that only you can properly lead those people who would listen to you to a better decision as to what to do to celebrate Easter, without creating suffering in the process.

        As I understand it, Easter is supposed to be a happy holiday full of celebration. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone. Those of us who rescue unwanted/abandoned rabbits regard Easter as one of the most heart-breaking times of year. We wind up cleaning up the awful mess left behind by well-meaning but un-informed celebrants, and in many cases, this means putting animals to sleep to end their suffering. Suffering that was the direct result of a spur-of-the-moment choice to give a living being to someone as if it was no more than a book or a picture frame or a piece of chocolate.

        When properly cared for, rabbits have a lifespan of 8-10 years or more. When neglected, their lives usually end within one year from improper nutrition, no veterinary care, and exposure to the elements (for those kept outdoors). These are very intelligent and emotional creatures; they are as good a pet as a dog or cat and just as popular, and most of the information available about them is out-dated. We have learned much about rabbits in the last few years, enough to realize just how wonderful these animals really are, and just how sad their stories are.

        Among the campaigns currently instituted about Easter Rabbits, the best suggestions to give those considering giving a live animal is - give a chocolate bunny instead, or perhaps a stuffed plush toy, or any number of inanimate objects with likenesses of rabbits on them. These types of gifts tend to be more readily accepted, they don't carry with them the responsibility of the recipient that taking care of a living animal does, and people tend to get more pleasure from them anyway (and if they get tired of the gift, it doesn't mean that a living being suffers).

        I am asking you, even pleading with you, as a leader of a group of people, to talk to them about this situation. It is truly heartbreaking for the humans involved, and it is even worse for the animals that suffer and die as a result of celebrations gone wrong. Any animal, great or small, is a living being that should be afforded every courtesy of life. Almost all Easter Rabbits are condemned to a death sentence, after suffering a shortened life of horrible neglect. This simply can't be the intent of Easter. It is, however, an all-too-common result.

        Please help us help the rabbits. Please help us reduce the suffering of these wonderful creatures. Please help the public understand enough that they don't inadvertently create suffering when their intentions are noble.

        Sincerely,




        (your name here)

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