Local nonprofit helps rescue and care for bunnies | KD Sunday Spotlight
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Inside Susan Platek's home five hungry bunnies are living the dream. Platek cares for rescued bunnies who have some extra medical needs. Two are fosters and three she owns. You'd never know now, but she only had her first bunny twelve years ago.
"When I started, I'd never even touched a rabbit," said Platek. After retiring she wanted to work with animals so a shelter connected her to the non-profit Rabbit Wranglers.
"Rabbit Wranglers trained me on how to give fluids, how to give medication, how to give injections," said Platek.
They're not vets, but the nonprofit supports the owners with a rabbit's medical needs, to help keep rabbits in their current homes.
Suaz Forsythe is one of the partners of the nonprofit which started with a focus on helping shelters care for and train rabbits. "The rabbits have a life, they're sentient beings and we just want to make it the most perfect life for them," said Foresythe.
A perfect life means rabbit owners need some instruction. Rabbit wranglers helps litter train and rabbit-proof homes too. Foresythe said the organization helps people think differently about animals.
After dogs and cats, rabbits are the third most popular pet, but they're also the third most surrendered. Every year Rabbit Wranglers rescues domestic rabbits who are left on the streets. The organization estimates rescuing nearly 200 a year. As for those abandoned rabbits, foster homes transform their future.
"It's so rewarding to be able to get an animal past it's illnesses or past its challenges and to see their bond with you," said Foresythe. "What we have right now, is a need for fosters."
With about sixty rabbits now they know they can help more with more foster volunteers. Volunteers like Platek who started with one pair of perky ears, have rescued twenty.
"It makes me feel like I'm doing some good," said Platek, "So if we can get them prepared to be adopted and socialized, let their personalities come out, then people can see how wonderful they are."
The next event for Rabbit Wranglers is coming up in February. During it they'll offer rabbit grooming. Exact details will be on their social media soon. In addition, they have seasonal photo shoots with rabbits and reading times for kids with rabbits, at the Pleasant Hills library.