Friday, August 24, 2012
Richmond Review · Page 3
Rescuers offer ailing rabbits hope Bandaids for Bunnies group hopes to find support for a rabbit sanctuary in Richmond by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter Rescuers found Chiquita on the grounds of Richmond City Hall in rough shape. As an abandoned pet, the rabbit had been forced to fend for itself. Chiquita was skin and bones and suffering from infections, blindness in one eye, abscesses and a large internal mass. She was booked for surgery by generous local veterinarian Dr. Joseph Martinez, but during surgery it became clear its body had been overtaken by cancer. Chiquita had to be euthanized. “This is what happens to pet rabbits that are abandoned. They either die on the street or end up in a terrible state like Chiquita,” said Cindy Howard. “The only good thing is that Chiquita spent her last few days on earth being loved and cared for rather than suffering and dying alone on the street.” Howard is co-founder of Bandaids for Bunnies, a Richmond rabbit rescue organization that has launched a new poster and online campaign—No Rabbit Left Behind—to stem the tide of abandoned bunnies. The group aims to raise public awareness of the issue and ultimately secure a sanctuary for rabbits like Chiquita. Abandoned pet rabbits roam throughout Richmond, especially hotspots like Minoru Park and the Richmond Auto Mall. A ban on the retail sale of rabbits implemented by Richmond council in April 2010 might have lessened populations, but bunnies aren’t hard to find in pet stores elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, and the animals are still pervasive on the local landscape. Local rescuers have even found them in lessthan-pastural locations, including the Quintet construction site and on a hotel rooftop patio. “Once you start looking for them, all of a sudden (you realize) they’re everywhere,” said Howard. Bandaids for Bunnies concentrates its rescue efforts on rabbits suffering from injury or illness. Co-founder Krystal Grimm, a veterinarian’s assistant, offers shelter to the animals that, once rehabilitated with help from Dr. Martinez of Little Paws Animal Clinic, are offered up for adoption. The group believes a sanctuary—which could only be built with community and government support—would not only offer safe homes for street rabbits, but serve as an educational facility allowing visitors to appreciate how domestic bunnies are ill-equipped to survive in the wild. A sanctuary would also promote spaying and
Matthew Hoekstra photo Krystal Grimm and Cindy Howard are founders of Bandaids for Bunnies, a local rabbit rescue group that ultimately hopes to build a sanctuary in Richmond.
“Once you start looking for them, all of a sudden (you realize) they’re everywhere.” - Cindy Howard neutering. “Some people are dumping because they think they’re freeing the rabbits, and they’re giving them a better life, which they’re not,” said Howard. Rabbits, she said, are territorial, and new rabbits trying to make a home in the same area can lead to bunny conflict. “We have a couple rabbits with such severe injuries: they’re missing ears, pieces of their face are missing—just because of the other rabbits, not necessarily another predator.” The city’s shelter is also home to abandoned rabbits, which are available for adoption, but the No. 5 Road facility has limited room. For more information about Bandaids for Bunnies and rabbits available for adoption, visit bandaidsforbunnies.com.
Matthew Hoekstra photo Minoru Park is a rabbit hot spot.
Library offers lessons in Chinese culture English seminar led by Jan Walls and Yvonne Li Walls next Tuesday A lesson in Chinese dinner etiquette, gift-giving and symbolism
will be offered at Richmond Public Library next Tuesday, Aug. 28. Professor Emeritus Jan Walls and Yvonne Li Walls will share their knowledge about cross-cultural understanding between Canadian and Chinese at a free seminar. In the seminar, the pair will also compare Canadian and Chinese views and attitudes toward individuals and groups, directness and indirectness, interpersonal relationships and age.
Jan Walls began his academic career teaching Chinese language and East Asian cultures at University of B.C. in the 1970s. Besides teaching, he founded and directed the Centre for Pacific and Oriental Studies at the University of Victoria, as well as the David Lam Centre for International Communication at Simon Fraser University. Since his retirement in 2006, he remains active in many community organizations and on the province’s
multicultural advisory council. This year, he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Yvonne Li Walls is director of the Canadian Institute of Chinese Art, and an editor and translator at the North American Fine Arts Publishing House in Vancouver. This seminar is part of a celebration of Chinese culture in honour of Dr. Kwok-Chu Lee. Lee (also known as Master Lam Chun) is a generous supporter of Richmond Public Library.
This ongoing relationship started in 1995 when he donated 1,800 Chinese books to the library. Donations continued, with his most significant coming last year by donating 47,000 Chinese books to the library, valued at $1.2 million. Earlier this year Richmond council has earmarked $100,000 to integrate the books into the library system. To register for the English seminar call 604-231-6413 or visit yourlibrary. ca (course No. 620).