A Mission to Rescue the Rabbits of San Jose
This photo essay follows an October night of rabbit rescue work led by Danielle Jenkins, animal rescue activist and founder of Some Bunny to Love Rescue and Sanctuary. You can learn more about Danielle’s work and ways to support it here.
Dozens of domestic rabbits roam through one San Jose neighborhood each night. They emerge at dusk, appearing on lawns and gardens and munching on rose and hibiscus flowers. Without intervention, just a couple of abandoned pet rabbits can quickly form colonies numbering in the hundreds.
Although at first glance the bunnies appear content and happy living amongst the houses and train tracks, domestic rabbits are not equipped to survive the harsh street environment. Kept indoors and properly cared for, domestic rabbits can live 12 years or more. On the street, the rabbits live short and terrible lives, succumbing to predators, injury, and disease, often not before breeding so that the new rabbits grow up to repeat the cycle.
This is the story of the night in photos.
Danielle moves towards a rabbit, corralling it towards the other volunteers so it can be captured
Two volunteers carry an X pen, one of the tools used to help corner the rabbits
Danielle captures a rabbit while her son and the other volunteers watch
The rabbit rescue team searches for more bunnies
Looking for a rabbit that disappeared into a hedge
A rabbit cornered against X pen
Once captured, Danielle holds the rabbit snuggly to her chest to keep it from injuring itself. Bunnies will struggle so hard to get away that they can break their own backs if not properly handled
A volunteer checks on one of the rescued rabbits
The volunteers work as a team to capture a rabbit
Danielle transfers a rabbit to a pet carrier
A rescue volunteer carries a rabbit to the car
In total, the team was able to rescue four rabbits. Sadly, one of the rabbits needed to have emergency surgery the following day and did not survive. The other three are receiving appropriate veterinary care and will soon be ready to be fostered or adopted. See links above to contribute to their care.