By 5 PM Friday, 8-25, The Rabbit Haven had removed all rabbits in need of rescue from the Santa Cruz shelter system. (SC & Watsonville). This was a difficult task given we also have intense rescue needs from the community, a long wait list, a full foster network, and pressing rescue needs from our other shelters. In addition, most other rescue groups were too full to help us. None the less, we got it done.

Tremendous thanks are due to to Leslie, the SC rabbit advocate for her tireless work with appeals, calling rescues, coordinating transports, helping with spay neuter, and focusing on medical /social needs of the shelter rabbits. Her work made this rescue happen. She is dedicated and focused. We are so fortunate to have Leslie working on the behalf of the SC county rabbits.

We am also honored to have our many new Rabbit Haven fosters that came aboard to help with this rescue. It is such a pleasure to work with the rescue community. They are such caring, loving people. They came forward to help these desperate rabbits, just in time. In the end, every life was Saved. The Rabbit Haven rescue community is happily alive and well!

We also appreciate the staff at the Santa Cruz shelter. The shelter takes in a very large number of abandoned and surrendered animals. The Santa Cruz shelter has an active adoption program. Helpful shelter staff even deliver rabbits after work to Haven rescue and do their best to make room for what seems like a continual stream of rabbits. Rabbit Haven also shows shelter rabbits at both of our Santa Cruz shows each month. Shelter volunteers bring shelter rabbits to our shows - It all works - It is just so hard when there are so many rabbits and other animals abandoned in this county.

We plan to discuss the reopening of the Watsonville adoption center. That will add more space and will be a great help. Rabbit adoption options are needed in South County too. We hope to find a way to expand the space for rabbits at both shelters as our county is growing. With this growth we will see a parallel need for animal welfare services.

We are hopeful that there will be a lull or at least a slowing of animal dumping in Santa Cruz County. We all need time to recover. For now, we can be happy knowing everybunny from the SC shelter is safe in rescue. Thank you everyone involved for your support.

The Santa Cruz shelter system (including Watsonville), went well over maximum capacity two weeks ago. Even with ongoing Rabbit Haven rescue and adoption shows we have not been able to keep up and the shelters have an urgent need for rescue. Sadly, the community continues to dump unwanted animals at an alarming rate at these shelters. We have been working as fast as we can to manage the flow at this shelter, but we need fosters, rescue and adopters to make this work.

Some of the rabbit over-crowding is due to a steady flow of rabbits that started last May and has not stopped. They just keep coming in pairs or groups and we your help to get caught up. This year we are facing a much heavier animal surrender rate at our shelters.

For rabbits at the shelter, this problem has been made much worse because 6 spaces have been eliminated at the Watsonville facility and 1 in the Santa Cruz site. In addition, 6 additional spaces were lost 4 years ago when they moved to their new shelter facility. Basically, cage space at the shelters is decreasing when numbers of rabbits are increasing. A bad situation for rabbits.

This is Meyer, and he needs love and a home of his own.

The awesome rabbit advocate, Leslie, has been busy emailing and calling all the rescues near and far and to date, we have been able to get out only 5 rabbits. Tragically two more came in Saturday! Haven has contacted everyone we know in the rescue community as well to find space. We definitely have a huge task at hand. To save lives we need to secure additional rescue, increase adoptions and set up new fosters sites.

Please help me! (Harper)

There is so much you can do. We need you. The rabbits need you:

1. Foster
2. Adopt
3. Rescue
4. Help in a supportive role
5. Donate

Please see if you have space anywhere to help these little ones. Timmy & Harper need to get out ASAP. They have been at the shelter since April-May. These rabbits are having a hard time in the shelter environment. They are smaller rabbits. Timmy (pictured above) is a tiny dwarf Sable point and Harper is a small white ruby-blue eyed dwarf. Also show are Chip a luscious Rex and Bibbity.

We have only a few days to save their lives. Just fostering for three months will save a life. There are other ways you can help too. You can help transport, pick up supply, put up flyers in the community, assist at the office or even donate. Email me for a complete list of rabbits available at either shelter.

Call us at 831 600-7479 10 AM to 10 PM or email if you want to help director@therabbithaven.org