Update: After reviewing evidence submitted by PETA, the National Institutes of Health has reprimanded the University of Colorado–Denver (CU) for repeatedly violating federal animal welfare guidelines in its laboratories, criticized it for not reporting the problems, and ordered the university to repay grant money used for noncompliant experiments on animals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's investigation into CU's laboratories is still underway.

Originally posted January 29:

It's starting to feel like déjà vu: PETA has once again filed formal complaints with the federal government about the abuse of animals in laboratories at the University of Colorado–Denver (CU). Through a state open-records request, PETA has just learned that the same neglect and incompetence that we documented there in a 2007 investigation are still occurring.

The records show that during just the past two years, at least 60 animal welfare incidents—dozens of which may constitute violations of federal law and guidelines—have occurred, including the following:

• A worker broke a rabbit's back as the rabbit struggled against the worker's restraint. The paralyzed animal was still used in an experiment before she was finally killed.
• Experimenters induced cancer in animals and then ineptly cut off the resulting tumors, leaving the animals—who were given no pain relief—with large, gaping wounds.
• Live mice and rats were found in a freezer where dead animals were discarded.
• Twenty guinea pigs died or were killed after a worker injected them with an antibiotic intended for rats.
• A careless employee threw a box of live animals into the trash, leaving the animals to die slowly.

Based on PETA's undercover investigation, in 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited CU for serious violations of the Animal Welfare Act and also issued the university an official warning letting it know that it would be fined $10,000 per incident if it were found violating the law again. It's time for the government to follow through on that warning and stop CU's abuses for good.

How You Can Help  

Please ask the federal government to stop funding cruel animal experiments and to put your tax dollars toward modern, humane non-animal research methods.

It's taken a few weeks and no small amount of TLC, but the rabbits who were rescued from a hoarder's facility, Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue, Inc., are healthier, stronger, and ready to meet families who will love and care for them forever.

© Kencredible

When authorities raided the so-called "sanctuary" based on evidence gathered by PETA, they rescued 222 rabbits packed inside owner Carole Van Wie's filthy garage and home, where ammonia fumes were so strong that responders had to put on masks.

Van Wie kept rabbits stacked in cages one on top of the other, amid their accumulated urine and feces. She hadn't provided sick rabbits with veterinary care, and she had left contagious animals with those not yet obviously sick. Some rabbits' nails were so overgrown that they caught on the wire bars of the cages, and many were infested with fleas. Authorities found at least one rabbit dead inside a cage.

But now, with their traumatic ordeal behind them, the Bunny Magic rabbits are ready to go home for good—with families who are willing to give them the specialized care that rabbits require. 

If you are ready to make a lifetime commitment to an animal and can give one (or better yet, a spayed and neutered couple) of these rabbits all the love and care that they deserve, you can apply to adopt one from the Tri-County Animal Shelter, in Hughesville, Maryland, by calling 301-932-1713 between the hours of 12 noon and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Update: On August 20, Carole Van Wie, the operator of Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue, Inc., was charged with 13 counts of cruelty to animals. The charges follow an August 8 raid on the facility—prompted by a PETA complaint—in which law-enforcement officers seized 222 rabbits. Officials reportedly had to don masks to rescue the flea-infested and sick rabbits from up to 4 inches of feces and urine. Investigators apparently found one rabbit dead in a cage and others denied food or water. According to news sources, seven of the rabbits rescued that day could not be saved.

Originally posted August 8:

Welcome news! Today, many, many rabbits are being removed by Calvert County, Maryland, officials from what could be called a sham "sanctuary," Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue, Inc., in Lusby. The seizure was prompted by evidence gathered by PETA of systemic—and sometimes fatal—neglect of animals at the "rescue," following a whistleblower's tip-off.

Many neglected rabbits’ nails were overgrown. Some caught on wire cage bottoms while others curled dangerously toward the animals’ sensitive feet.

Disgusting Filth, Disease, and Death

PETA submitted evidence and a detailed complaint to Calvert County Animal Control and State's Attorney Laura Martin's Office, which has opened a criminal investigation into Bunny Magic, run by President Carole Van Wie. We thank law enforcement for acting promptly and PETA Investigations & Rescue Fund donors for providing us with the resources needed to follow up on the whistleblower's tip.

PETA found that Bunny Magic consisted of little more than Van Wie's garage, which reeked of ammonia, and a dark shed that was overrun with rodents. It had no paid help to care for its more than 200 rabbits and other animals. Van Wie deprived rabbits of needed veterinary care and left contagious animals in contact with others, risking the spread of disease. Photographs show that Bunny Magic was little more than a hoarding facility, amassing far more animals than it could properly care for.

Dead rabbits crammed into a freezer

Scores of rabbits kept in cramped, stacked cages

Rabbits (who are fastidiously clean animals) were unable to avoid stepping in their own feces, which was allowed to accumulate for days

One neglected rabbit, Rockette, suffered with a severely twisted neck, struggling to stand up on her own; she was denied nursing and veterinary care and left to languish and defecate on herself until she finally died. Another rabbit, named George, who had a months-long respiratory infection that filled his throat with pus, was rescued from Bunny Magic before PETA met with officials but could not be saved. A veterinarian recommended that George be put out of his misery.

What You Can Do

The rabbits are being rescued only because a courageous whistleblower reported how horrified he or she was by Bunny Magic, reminding us that we should never be silent when animals are in trouble.

Please be sure, before adopting any animals, that you're ready to make a lifetime commitment to caring for them. Beware of hoarders pretending to operate so-called "no-kill" rescues or sanctuaries who promise to care for unwanted animals but instead will only subject them to prolonged suffering and a prolonged, miserable death. If you take an animal to a shelter, make sure it's operated responsibly.

Victories like this one are made possible in part through the generosity of PETA Investigations & Rescue Fund supporters. To learn more about this vital fund and how you can support the rescue of more animals, click here! 

Want to wake up Easter morning to a basket filled with goodies? Here are five ways to be sweet to rabbits this spring—and make sure the Easter Bunny's trail runs right up to your house.

wwarby|cc by 2.0 

• Stuff children's baskets with a fluffy plush bunny. The stuffed variety won't chew through the basket as a real rabbit likely would. Rabbits are complex animals who require specialized care. They get nervous when they're lifted off the ground, and because of their delicate spines, they can break their backs if they struggle or are dropped. But stuffed bunnies can withstand all the holding, squeezing, and playing that kids can dish out.

• Be a bunny's buddy. If your family is ready to invest the eight to 12 years and average of $7,600 that rabbits require over the course of a lifetime, adopt a bunny from an animal shelter—you can often find spayed or neutered and even housetrained rabbits waiting for a family. Rabbits need care from veterinarians who are familiar with the species as well as plenty of fresh grass, timothy or oat hay, vegetables, and some fruits. They also need toys of different textures to chew on, regular grooming, and lots of attention from their guardians.

• Take care with wild hares. If the rabbits in your yard are beautiful to look at but making your spring flower garden less so, deter the nibbling with a couple of easy tricks. Erecting a short, inexpensive wire fence or planting lavender, catnip, or marigolds around the perimeter of the garden or flowerbed will keep hungry rabbits at bay.

• Make your spring makeover bunny-friendly. When you're choosing your new makeup or fragrance, go for ones that weren't dripped into rabbits' eyes. See PETA's online guide for a complete list of cruelty-free cosmetics companies. 

• Show your anti-fur pride to save a bunny's hide. Sure, you might don a bunny suit for Easter festivities, but never don a coat made of real rabbits. Sign PETA's Pledge to Be Fur-Free, and show Peter Cottontail that your house is a safe place by sporting an anti-fur tee.

Hoppy Easter!

It isn't quite Easter yet, but one Los Angeles woman still got a surprise from a bunny. Taken aback to see a big, fluffy black-and-white rabbit calmly nibbling grass near her home, she called PETA and asked how she could tell if the animal were a wild rabbit or a domesticated bunny someone had simply turned loose outdoors after growing tired of caring for the animal. 

This lucky (and adorable!) bunny got a second chance at finding a good home

Based on the rabbit's physical description and friendly demeanor, it was clear that the little one had been someone's companion. And as the PETA employee explained, domesticated rabbits lack the survival skills and training of their wild counterparts and will fall victim to predators, cruel people, or foreign parasites and diseases against which they lack a natural immunity.

The caller did everything right: She safely secured the bunny in a large box, carried the animal into her home, and called someone at the local animal shelter, who drove out and picked the bunny up. The friendly rabbit likely hadn't been outside for long since the animal was still very healthy, and the fluffy one now has a second chance at finding a forever home.

If you are considering adopting a rabbit, don't buy; go to a shelter or a rescue group.  

D.C.'s Washington Humane Society gave away rabbits for pennies recently. As one commenter who read the disturbing news article posted, "I hope this is … [an] April Fool's joke." Sadly, it wasn't. The animals were being adopted out for "29 cents in honor of the Leap Year."

St0rmz | cc by 2.0

A Dangerous Plan

Selling animals for less than the price of a pack of gum devalues them and encourages spur-of-the-moment adoptions by people who have not considered whether or not they are ready to invest the substantial amount of money and care that animals need. It would have been easy for people to acquire the cheap bunnies to give as Easter gifts to children, so many will likely join the countless other neglected cast-off Easter bunnies and chicks who live in cramped cages in backyards or are abandoned outdoors, where they cannot survive and die painfully.

Other people's intentions could be much more sinister: Virtually free rabbits are often sought after by those looking for cheap snake food, dogfighting bait, and laboratory victims—even by those wanting to make rabbit stew.

'No-Kill' Hurts Animals

In response to pressure from "no-kill" advocates like Nathan Winograd and well-meaning members of the public, more and more animal shelters are stooping to these kinds of cheap and dangerous gimmicks to reduce their euthanasia statistics, even when it means shoving animals out the door without regard for each individual animal's well-being and safety. But if the number in the "adopted" column represents animals who suffered miserable fates and died at the hands of cruel or irresponsible people who have no idea what a rabbit needs, feels, or wants, that number starts to look pretty ugly.

Former "pussycat" Kimberly Wyatt instinctively knows that torturing rabbits, mice, and other animals for makeup is wrong. In her new ad for PETA U.K., Kimberly, who has her own line of cruelty-free cosmetics, exposes the painful and often deadly effects that chemical tests have on animals.

Hair: Klare Wilkinson|Make-up: Lan Nguyen|Studio: ShoreditchStudios.com|© karlgrant.com

Testing cosmetics on animals has been banned within the European Union (E.U.) since 2009. The E.U. also approved a ban on the sale of cosmetics containing ingredients that were tested on animals elsewhere, effective in 2013. But under pressure from some cosmetics companies, the E.U. is considering delaying that ban. Kimberly is hopeful that her ad will encourage the E.U. to uphold the original deadline.

She's got a lot of support: After PETA U.K., PETA Germany, and PETA Netherlands sent out action alerts to their members, the European Commission (the E.U.'s executive branch) received more than 20,000 e-mails urging it not to delay the ban. And when PETA U.S. sent out a similar action alert, we quickly collected and delivered more than 50,000 letters from people in the U.S. and other countries imploring the European Commission to keep the deadline and keep animals safe.

On this side of the pond, we aren't fortunate enough to have such a ban yet, but we can implement one in our homes by buying only cruelty-free products.

Gracie had been relegated to a tiny cage for weeks when a PETA staffer noticed her and asked her owner if she could give the rabbit a new home. Gracie's owner agreed. After all, she said, she didn't really want a rabbit companion—she'd bought Gracie to feed to her snake, but the rabbit had proved to be too big.

Gracie didn't let her harrowing start to life dampen her spirit, and she became a superstar, posing with actor Charlotte Ross in a PETA anti-fur ad. And in her new home, where she is wanted, Gracie enjoys romping through the vegetable garden and digging holes. She doesn't like it when her chicken companions try to eat her food, but the wily rabbit never hesitates to steal theirs.

While sweet Gracie got her happy ending, she would be saddened if she knew that rabbits just like her are confined to tiny cages every year in laboratories in the U.S. They have cosmetics and household cleaners dripped into their eyes. Their backs are shaved, and corrosive chemicals are painted onto their raw skin and left to burn away the tissue for weeks. Then they are killed.

Show rabbits a little grace. Buy cruelty-free products.

As anyone who has ever forgotten to spell out "w-a-l-k" can attest, dogs can understand our language. One recent study showed that dogs can learn up to 165 words and gestures and that they can count. And dogs aren't the only animals you can depend on in an emergency either—a rabbit recently saved her human family from a house fire.

malfet_ | cc by 2.0

Could birds call each other "humanbrain" as an insult? Like humans, crows and ravens are very social and have large brains for their body size. They also rival humans and monkeys in their ability to delay self-gratification for a greater reward. They are articulate, too, as evidenced by escaped former companion birds who are now teaching their flocks to understand English. If a family planning to welcome a new baby is having trouble picking a name, perhaps they should consult with parrots, who name their offspring.

Dolphins talk to each other in a way similar to humans, too, by adjusting their muscular tension and air flow. Words likely not in their vocabulary? "Imprison," "abuse," and "exploit" …. But if they are familiar with those terms, it could explain why scientists in Australia are just now discovering a new species of dolphin—maybe they were hiding!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

People have been safely using toothpaste, dish soap, and other household products for generations, but that didn’t stop REACH, the European Union's massive chemical-testing program, from torturing and killing about 200,000 animals in tests on the ingredients in these products, among many other chemicals. A recent report by the agency that oversees REACH reveals that companies are ignoring the requirement to use every available alternative to experimenting on animals and are instead putting thousands of animals through suffering that most people wouldn't wish on their worst enemy.

According to the U.K.'s Daily Mail, "Among these 'unnecessary' tests were 188 studies on eye irritation carried out on rabbits; 336 skin sensitisation studies on guinea pigs or mice; 254 short-term toxicity tests on fish; and 33 genetic toxicity tests on mice."

PETA U.K. is calling out the government officials responsible for enforcing REACH by placing this ad in an influential European politics magazine, The Parliament, and asking Europeans to write to the European Commission.

In related news, PETA and its international affiliates have written to the European Chemicals Agency, which oversees REACH, demanding a moratorium on reproductive toxicity testing until a newly approved refinement―that can spare hundreds of thousands of animals―is in place.   

In the meantime, you can help animals on both sides of the pond by buying only cruelty-free products. Visit the PETA Living page for lists of companies that do and don’t test on animals.

 
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post