Analysis of Factors Relating to Companion Rabbits Relinquished to Two United Kingdom Rehoming Centers

A new study, just published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, explores the reasons why companion rabbits are relinquished by their owners to rehoming centres in the UK. The research was carried out by Clare Frances Ellis PhD Candidate at the University of Northampton and Moulton College UK, Dr Wanda McCormick (Moulton College, UK) and Dr Ambrose Tinarwo (Hadlow College, UK), and was funded by the Thomas Harrison Trust.

Understanding the reasons for the breakdown of companion animal ownership is vital to help prevention and intervention initiatives. The study looked at reasons given for relinquishment by the owners, and rabbit characteristics, such as sex, age and health status. The aim of the research was to identify factors that make rabbits vulnerable to being relinquished.

The full article is available here. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888705.2017.1303381