Fed up of seeing people mistreating and abandoning rabbits, Emma Clough and her daughters Jasmin and Rosie decided to take action.
The trio began taking in rabbits that weren’t being properly cared for, letting them run wild in the garden of their three-bed, semi-detached family home – which they call The Bun Village.
They’ve rescued over 100 bunnies in the last year, and currently have 46 in their home.
Don’t worry, they’re not planning to keep all of those buns. While the family started off by keeping every rabbit they rescued, they quickly realised that was far too much too handle and so prioritise finding each animal a new home.
It’s not an easy task – and caring for so many rabbits doesn’t come cheap.
The family spend around £85 a week feeding their rabbits hay, pellets and veggies, with bales of hay costing £5.50 a pop every day.
They hope that they’ll inspire people to do their research before getting a rabbit they assume will be an ‘easy’ pet.
And Rosy, 12, who is homeschooled and uses their pets as part of her education, has sslammed the misinformation provided by pet shops.
She wants The Bun Village to educate people that it’s not okay to keep rabbits alone in cages and feed them the toxic food sold in pet shops.
Jasmin, 19, said: ‘I wish rabbits were viewed how a dog would be, to be free in the house.
‘Ours use the cat flap and take themselves out in the garden!
‘They’re not easy first pets for kids and they shouldn’t be kept in cages. They’re a twelve year commitment and not as easy as a lot of people think.’
The family care so much about rabbits’ welfare that they’ll only allow them to be rehomed with owners who offer the same space and attention they do.
They’re also operating at a financial loss, with Jasmin working as a gymnastics teacher to fund the rabbits’ vaccinations, neutering, food, toys, and care.
‘I love seeing the ones who were really scared when we first got them, skinny, in bad conditions and not happy,’ said Rosie.
‘And then slowly they get used to people and they start to trust again and it’s lovely seeing them happy knowing that they were so scared when we first got them.’
Proud mum Emma, 44, who used to be a vet nurse and horse groomer, didn’t even want a pet rabbit to begin with but caved on the condition Rosie and Jasmin did their research.
She said: ‘I’ve been so proud of these girls since day one when we got the very first rabbit.
‘Now we have got 46 and I am so in love with all of these rabbits.
‘I cannot imagine life without them – I will always want to be doing this now. They’re just amazing creatures.’
The family hope The Bun Village will one day become a registered charity so that they can dedicate all of their time to rescuing rabbits.
To donate to the cause, visit the family’s GoFundMe page.
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