I looked at every photo and video clip I could find about this last night.
First off, I was not there, I cannot know the whole situation. But from the photos and videos I saw...here's my thoughts.
First, yeah the cages are a little grimy. They aren't dirty per se, just old and possibly in need of some love. Last summer I bought cages that were in that condition, a good scrubbing, some rust scraping and a fresh coat of Rustoleum and they...well don't look NEW but they're clean and servicable. I don't see an issue with his cages.
Second...the fur. There was a big to-do about the clumps of fur everywhere. Uhhhh...these are Mini Rex. I'm new to the breed, sure, but when my Mini Rex doe molted, it looked like she EXPLODED in her cage. One day nothing, the next day a few hair chunks sticking out of her coat...the next day RABBIT-PLOSION. Hair everywhere!!!! Also, a lot of his does had litters. Anyone who's ever have a doe yank out a tonne of fur knows it doesn't always end up in the nest. :roll: Yeah there's a lot of hair from what I could see, but not gross hair globs, just fluff.
Third...the food and water. A lot of AR people are angry that the rabbits didn't have food and water 24/7. For one thing, free-feeding isn't GOOD for rabbits. They get FAT. I sure don't free-feed! I expect my rabbits to clean their bowls when I feed them, in fact if I find food in a dish at the next meal, I WORRY because that means something is going on with that rabbit! Now...for water. Yes, rabbits should have fresh water available at all times. In a perfect world, this would be so. In reality, it doesn't always work out that way. I have two does who like to play with their water dish. I fill it, they drink for a while...then when sated they flip the dish, toss it around, push it around with their noses, and then groom the water they spilled on themselves off their fur. I water them FIRST so they get a good drink, then after I water everyone else I water them again because they inevitably spill it. I've started wiring their crocks to the cage to try and prevent it, but sometimes they get it loose. The AR people claim that a rabbit who does this should have a non-spillable water bottle and not a crock. GUESS WHAT, one of the does who plays with her water dish? DOESN'T KNOW HOW. She has never used a bottle and even though I tried to teach her, she doesn't "get" it and WILL dehydrate. Plus I have noticed my rabbits drink more when they have crocks, and I prefer they stay good and hydrated.
Fourthly...the number. Let's be real, to the average layperson, 400-ish rabbits sounds like a lot. What they aren't telling you is that, based on some reports, about two thirds or MORE of the rabbits seized were kits still with their mothers. Ergo the permanent adult population was under a hundred. Yes, to me that's a big rabbitry, but it isn't THAT big. There are folk on this forum who have more holes than he did, and certainly have more adult rabbits than he did! You can't rely on numbers to ascertain quality of life. There was no ordinance against his numbers, and they even admitted in places that having that many does not constitute a crime.
Fifth...I have yet to see ANY pictures of skinny or unhealthy rabbits. They claim they were living in filth. Have you SEEN the white ones? They are fluffy with shiny, dense coats and they are PRISTINE. Tell you what, if those rabbits were living in their own urine and faeces, the white ones would NOT be white for long. All his rabbits looked to be in good body condition. Now I cannot put my hands on them and know for sure, but from photos I do not believe them to be skinny. They also showed the wall that was behind the cages after the cages were seized (and btw, I am shocked that they seized all his cages and property as well as his rabbits!) and it DOES have pee on it. My first thought: he must have a few bucks caged along that wall. Some bucks spray. Some bucks spray ALL THE TIME. You could scrub that wall every day, and every day there'd be fresh buck-pee. And let me tell you, it STICKS. It doesn't just wipe off or something.
Sixthly...the breeding thing. There are some allegations that his rabbits were breeding out of control, breeding willy-nilly. Uhm. I call shenanigans. They are SINGLE RABBIT CAGES. The only cages with more than one rabbit in them are does with litters. The pictures I saw had info on the doe and the litter written on each cage, implying they are PLANNED LITTERS, not "WHOOPS THIS DOE JUST POPPED OUT A BUNCH OF KITS! Didn't even know she was preggers!"
Seven. One reporter in what I would call an illegal video (he's there for the seizure, IN THE GUY'S BARN WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION, filming and accusing things) claimed that they think the rabbits were for show, for reptile feeding, and for pet shops. I don't think they've confirmed the latter two, and if they are being sold as feeders or to pet shops...SO? That isn't against any laws that I'm aware of.
Eighth...they said he was out of town. Okay, so...I still see no mention anywhere of a warrant. It is my understanding (someone correct me if I am wrong) that if an animal isn't in immediate danger or desperately ill, they cannot seize it until they serve the owner a warrant.
Ninth...a lot of the info I found on this came from AR sites and AR groups. A lot of them are complaining about how they are sure that the rabbits were bred for meat because nobody who "loves" rabbits would keep so many. In cages and on wire no less! Uhm. Do I even need to go there? Do I??? I don't even feel the need to dignify that with a response here. :evil:
Lastly...there was one thing that did bother me. Some of the rabbits from the back yard (not in his garage/barn) were photographed with no roof or shelter over their cages. No protection from rain or run. HOWEVER, I also can't find any mention of it, so I do not know if there was a covering that was removed before photos were taken. My rabbit lean-to is a frame of pipe and wood with a heavy-duty all-weather tarp over it. The tarp is held up away from the rabbits so there's no chewing going on, it is slanted to let rain and snow fall off, and moveable so if we get a bad storm or something I can adjust the angle to better protect my rabbits. However, if you took bolt-cutters to it you could disassemble it in minutes, so...I am not going to claim he had no shelter for those rabbits, merely that I couldn't find any mention of it or photos with a shelter or covering. If and ONLY IF they were left unprotected, would I have an issue...they need some shelter after all.
I do not believe there was justification for seizing his rabbits. I feel the reporters have already slandered this man's name with false information. I am now anxiously awaiting for further news...I worry about what will happen to the seized rabbits.
