Ryan Carter It’s not exactly a bunny...
Ryan Carter
It’s not exactly a bunny patch, but volunteers and workers hope a
new rabbit hutch at the Burbank Animal Shelter will be an ideal bunny
barracks.
Twelve rabbits have moved into their new lodgings, which was built
by volunteers, and await adoption at the shelter. Not many rabbits
are adopted at the shelter, but volunteers thought the ones that do
come in could use a little more room and a nicer environment than
their traditionally small cages.
Volunteers spent Saturday painting the wooden structure’s exterior
with features such as luscious landscapes. The male rabbits are
separated from the females in the hutch.
“You can definitely see them better,” said Burbank resident Erin
McClaughlin, who came to see the shelter’s dogs Tuesday with her
friend, Ruben Garcia. “It’s easier because they’re closer. They’re
cuter than I thought.”
Denise Cosgrave, a shelter volunteer, came up with the hutch idea
and brought it to the shelter’s board of directors. Volunteer Robert
Young and his friend Steve Powell built it over two days. The project
cost $500 and was paid for with donations made to the volunteers.
“It’s really cool,” said Eva Sippel, president of the volunteers.
“People see it now and say ‘Hey! Look at the bunnies.’ That never
happened before.”
The higher profile is important for finding potential owners
because they will be more likely to see and visit the animals, Sippel
said.
“It’s more spacious for the animals,” Sippel said. “But for the
public, you are actually drawn to it.”
Sippel said the shelter had three rabbits adopted Saturday.
In September, three Burbank girls set up a “kitty corner” for
visitors, filling a once sterile room with new chairs and a
multicolored rug, as well as hanging pictures of cats on the walls.