You know that millions of rabbits, raccoon dogs, and other animals die in gruesome ways for the fur industry. Clothing retailer Talbots knows this too, because it has been fur-free for years. But now, Talbots may begin selling clothing made with animal fur.
With so many warm, fashionable alternatives available, there is simply no reason to wear animal fur, and there's certainly no reason for Talbots to sell it! Talbots has hundreds of stores across the country, and its heartless decision to sell fur would set a terrible example for other retailers.
TAKE ACTION
Please call Talbots toll-free at 1-800-992-9010 and politely ask it to say no to the cruel, unnecessary fur trade. Be sure to mention if you are a Talbots customer, and how its decision will affect your shopping choices. After you have made your call, please send a follow-up email (use link above).
The city of Mission Viejo, Calif., has given a permit for local residents to kill the rabbits in a gated retirement community.
Please contact the Palmia Home Owners Association, which is hiring the company to shoot the rabbits, and respectfully ask them to consider a humane option for the removal of the wild rabbits.
Palmia Home Owners Association
21455 Monterey
Mission Viejo, CA 92692-4927
(949) 586-4778
http://www.palmiahoa.com/
For more information, please visit http://www.rabbit.org/opinion/missionviejo.html
Mission Viejo officials have given the go ahead to homeowners association in a gated community here to control its rabbit population by shooting the animals with pellet guns.
The permit was issued to Palmia, a community of 901 homes near the city's northeast border. It's only the second one issued by the city; Casta del Sol first requested to be allowed to shoot rabbits in 2005, a move some residents protested at the time.
Under the permit, which is reviewed every two years, shooting is only allowed 30 minutes after sunset and thirty minutes before sunrise.
The HOA must hire a professional company to shoot the rabbits and that shooting can only be done in open space when people are not present. The sheriff's department must be notified on those days.
In Palmia, just as in Casta del Sol, rabbits have chewed patches of lawn down to the dirt, eaten through flower beds, and damaged areas with urine and droppings.
"When you plant a petunia, the next day it's gone," said Jon Goettsch, a member of the HOA board. "We're trying, obviously, not to plant that stuff and to replant with non-rabbit-friendly plants. The majority of the damage is in the yards where they eat the grass right down to the dirt. Rabbits hide in a lot of our vegetation out here. It's a pretty serious problem."
Goettsch reported multiple complaints a day from homeowners, and said that a "large majority" of residents supported shooting the rabbits.
"If it was a small issue, we would have tried to take care of it another way," Goettsch said. "(Casta del Sol) has eradicated 50, 60, 70 percent of rabbits, so now they can grow some grass and get things looking good."
In Casta del Sol, a company was hired to control the rabbit population, a move 25-year resident Bonnie Laird said was the right move. The association there was spending more than $50,000 per year to replant after trying non-lethal means to deter the rabbits, according to the HOA.
"They were eating any kind of pretty flower, they just ate them as soon as you put them in the ground ... I had four huge brown spots on my lawn, and I stopped planting anything but succulents and cactus" she said.
"(The population) has decreased, I would say, because this year, so far we've only seen one, which is unusual."
Only one person spoke against the permit at the council meeting, 14-year old Reid Barraza, who does not live in Palmia.
"I like plants ... but to even think to kill an animal to preserve that disturbed me," he said before requesting the use of non-lethal means, including dusting the plants with chili powder.
The council listened to his concerns before unanimously voting in favor of the permit. Mayor Trish Kelley explained to Barraza that bunnies might be cute, but they can be destructive as well.
"Even though you're not agreeing with the decision we might make tonight, thank you for coming," she said.
Contact the writer: 949-454-7352 or npirani@ocregister.com
Sadly, the July issue of Marin Magazine wrote a glowing recommendation of the "Thursday Night Rabbit Meat Special" at Piazza D'Angelo restaurant in Mill Valley.
Please politely express your opinions about rabbit meat to both Marin Magazine and Piazza D'Angelo. Here are 3 tips for writing letters to the editor or businesses:
1.Be professional and courteous. Strive to educate and not argue.
2. Identify yourself as a concerned consumer with choices about how to spend your money. Avoid listing yourself as a member of a group, such as PETA, House Rabbit Society or SaveABunny. Unfortunately, sometimes being identified with a group will mistakenly get your opinion discounted as being "extremist" or "animal rights."
These places need to know that everyday customers and animal lovers in general (Not just rabbit owners)do not approve or support rabbit meat or fur.
3. Continue the dialogue and don't stop at a form letter reply. Go to the next level of management or ownership and be persistent and polite.
Below is the official letter from SaveABunny that is being sent to Marin Magazine in response to the article:
Piazza D'Angelo, 22 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, 415.388.2000 Piazza D'Angelo
http://www.piazzadangelo.com (Their web link has beenbroken. Maybe send a hand-written note)
Official letter from SaveABunny that is being sent to Marin Magazine in response to the article.
Has Marin Lost Its Heart In the Pursuit of New Pleasures?
Here in Marin, most of us are fortunate to live in comfort and affluence as a sophisticated and educated community. We stretch our spiritual muscles at yoga classes, meditate at Spirit Rock, recycle our plastic and paper, volunteer at Marine Mammal Center or Guide Dogs for the Blind, and eat organic foods.
The value we place on leading a conscious, compassionate lifestyle is at odds with a trend now being promoted in “progressive,” animal–loving Marin County: the consumption of one of the nation’s most beloved and popular pets, bunny rabbits. Yes, everyone should have a choice about what they want to eat. Just please, let us be sure it is an educated and thoughtful choice.
Rabbits are loving, highly intelligent companion animals that are as smart and sensitive as cats and dogs. They learn to use a litter box like a cat, know their names, and bond for life with their human guardians and bunny mates. Even famed “tough guy” Clint Eastwood and his wife live with a pet bunny named “August” they adopted from a Monterey shelter.
In the July issue of Marin Magazine, accompanied by a photo, is #7 of “the New Classics”-- Piazza D’Angelo’s “Thursday Night Rabbit Dish.” Really? A whole evening devoted to consuming cute, gentle companion animals you can adopt for your kids at the Marin Humane Society? Is “Horse Meat Happy Hour” next? Would you eat a hotdog if it was actually “Hot Dog?” Like rabbit, horse meat is a traditional dish in other parts of the world, but it is verboten here. Same thing goes with dog or cat meat being a delicacy in other countries. We like to think we’re too civilized to eat our pets, which is what makes the attempted normalization of rabbit-eating so reprehensible here.
You don’t have to be a rabbit owner to be offended and saddened by the insensitivity of the Marin Magazine article and the “yuckiness” factor of the “Thursday night” special itself. If you love animals of any kind, you will realize that in this country, and especially in Marin, we simply don’t eat our pets. Although conscience-soothing buzzwords, like “green,” “sustainable” and “organic,” are now being employed to market rabbit meat, the fact remains that eating bunnies is NOT a compassionate or cruelty-free choice. Ultimately, it is no more than a decision to increase someone’s profits, not a revolutionary way to save our planet.
Did you know that the rabbits you see on restaurant menus like Poggio and Piazza D’Angelo are the exact same breed and type of rabbit as those who cuddle with you and your kids? Meat rabbits are not wild animals or game. In fact, “meat” rabbits cannot even breed with the wild rabbits in this country because they are so genetically different from one another.
The rabbit meat at Piazza D’Angelo and other Bay Area restaurants comes from the aptly named “Devil’s Gulch” ranch in West Marin, which by its own website lists 1000 rabbits per week being raised for meat. That’s a lot of bunnies.
According to the Devil’s Gulch website, the rabbits they raise are a mix of three popular breeds of pet rabbits: Rex, New Zealand and Californian. The website praises the “mellower temperament” of these bunnies as “helpful for their mothering ability and handling in general.” In other words, the very traits of being gentle and nurturing mothers––qualities that would normally make these rabbits excellent pets––are what make them ideal for quick slaughter. The rabbit you eat will likely be a teenager of about 6-8 months old or younger. It will also be the exact same type of bunny you could easily choose to bring home to become part of your family––a smart, funny, loving pet.
In the 1987 movie “Fatal Attraction” starring Glenn Close, the definitive proof of her character’s sociopathology was the moment when she boiled a little girl’s pet rabbit. Over 25 years later, Marin now has the dubious distinction of leading the way in trying to make money by creating a new niche for rabbit meat and pretending that it somehow makes sense. Are we really that bored with the other menu options? We certainly don’t lack for food and variety. And really, it would be more “green” for us to use our existing resources wisely, rather than creating new consumer demands.
What if you could choose your live rabbit meal from a lobster type tank? Imagine telling your friendly server, “Yes, my family and I want you to kill and cook the cute fluffy little white momma bunny in the corner. Oh, and bring fries on the side.” You might scoff at the idea of such a thing, but consider this undeniable fact: a bunny gets killed for the sake of a profit margin if you point to that dish on the menu Thursday night.
Has Marin lost its heart and forgotten the beauty of practicing acts of kindness---just for someone new to eat at dinner?
SaveABunny joined forces with Leaps and Bounds Rescue to trap and triage in a large scale rescue effort of 21 bunnies from a sad and neglectful situation in Oroville.
These sweet,but filthy and frightened bunnies were living in squalid,cramped conditions without enough clean food and water. Most had bites wounds---even the very young babies. They were malnourished with hair loss and the angora mixes had extremely matted fur that needed shaving after rescue. Virtually all the females were pregnant and many thanks go to the Rabbit Haven, AFRP and Harvest Home for their help with the females.
Four boy bunnies (Wildwood,Oroville (died in surgery),Arbuckle and Gridley)and three tiny babies ( Bloomer,Mosley (adopted) and Pipers)came to SaveABunny for rescue and healing. They are all doing really well and have started to grow their fur back and look strong and healthy.
However, we still REALLY need your help! We must spay and neuter these bunnies and find them their forever homes. They are sweet, gentle and adorable rabbits who really deserve a second chance at a happy bunny life!
You can help by donating, fostering or adopting these very special rabbits. They are a real delight and SO grateful to now be safe and loved!
If you would like to send a donation to help with our medical expenses it would be greatly appreciated and really needed.
You can mail a check to :
SaveABunny
P.O. Box 2143
Mill Valley, CA 94942
We accept PayPal or check
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