Help get animal-tested products off the shelves!

No one wants to think they are supporting animal testing when they use a face cream or put on makeup. But you might be surprised to learn that many popular brands in supermarkets and pharmacies in Australia have actually been tested on animals.
Testing cosmetics on animals is illegal in Australia. But this law doesn't stop products being tested overseas before being sent here for sale. Confusing for consumers and devastating for animals suffering in labs overseas.
The European Union has introduced legislation that will ban the sale of any cosmetics that have been tested on animals, no matter where they are produced, by 2013. This ban will have a major effect on manufacturers who will need to stop their cruel testing methods in order to continue selling their products in Europe.
There is no reason why Australia can't follow Europe's lead and support their policy by introducing a similar ban. Everyone -- Australians included -- should be able to shop for beauty products without the risk of supporting animal tests!

Please help urge the Australian Government to follow Europe's compassionate lead by banning the sale and import of animal tested cosmetics.

Sign the petition at ANIMALS AUSTRALIA, here.

Adoptable Bunny: Belle

 

Belle.


Female/ Breed Unknown/ Chinchilla coat/ Younger bun


Belle came to us from the pound where she was surrendered by her previous owners. I find it hard to know why someone would surrender such a gorgeous creature with such nice manners, such a pretty face and fluffy chinchilla coat! She has a mild temperament and is still a little shy at the moment. We think she'll come out of her shell to be a rascally but snuggley bunny.

She is residing with Clare and Alex (with Leia) in Dulwich Hill for now, but hopefully this soon to be cuddle bear will be someones new best friend.

She will be available for adoption from Sydney Pet Rescue, after desexing and vaccination.

Help!

This beautiful bunny is at Renbury pound and will need a kind foster carer if not adopted out by the 19th April. 


Is anyone able to help?

Please contact me immediately if you can help with the rescue and provide a loving (temp or permanent) home.


bunnybooksydney@hotmail.com

Animals Australia: Wildlife under threat from shooters in NSW

Under the new NSW Government, animals living in the wild may be under increased threat. The Government needs the backing of crossbenchers like the Shooters and Fishers party to ensure the passage of bills in the Upper House, and this party has some very disturbing issues on its 'wish list'.

Not only does the Shooters and Fishers party want a stop on establishing new national parks and marine parks -- it also wants to overturn the ban on duck shooting in NSW. And the list continues; the party wants hunters to be allowed to shoot introduced animals in NSW national parks, private hunting reserves to be created, and to introduce shooting as an approved school 'sport'! These demands not only put many animals' lives in immediate danger, it will also cost NSW tax payers millions of dollars in funding these cruel hobbies.


Some early signs indicate the O'Farrell Government may cave in to some of these demands. The new Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, has already suggested that she would allow more fishing in some marine park areas.


It is critical in this early stage of the new Government's term to ensure that they realise that people want animals protected from cruelty, including the unnecessary suffering caused by hunting. Please help urge the NSW Government to uphold and increase the protection of animals in the wild.


TAKE ACTION, here.

From Rabbitron, California.

Snowy eagles a possible target

There is concern wedge-tailed eagles are being targeted by property owners in the New South Wales High Country due to a perceived threat to stock.

Investigations are underway after one of the birds was put down when it was found caught in an illegal rabbit trap, south of Jindabyne.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service says there is a belief the eagles cause damage to stock.

The Regional Manager, Pam O'Brien, says this year's conditions may explain the approach.

"Unfortunately with this season, with all the long grass, eagles are doing it a bit tough," she said.

"It's a lot harder to locate rabbits in the grass.

"So, the rabbits are going really well, and the eagles aren't doing as well.

"This may be why people are targeting them."

Ms O'Brien says although the traps should not be used, she hopes the death was an accident.

But she says there is a possibility it was deliberate.

"Unfortunately, some people think these animals cause a lot of damage to stock," she said.

"We have research that indicates they don't.

"70 per cent their food is rabbits."

Article sourced from here.

Candy We Don't Want to Find Easter Morning

Excerpt from here.

All photos by Laine Doss

Run, bunny, run!

​We're not sure exactly when Easter became the day to chomp the heads off innocent chocolate creatures of the forest, but that's what this holiday has evolved into. A recent trip to a megastore's candy aisle yielded a host of cringe-inducing products. Another Easter tradition is to hunt for treats, so let's hope we forget our contact lenses the big day. 


Get it? They're not Easter bunnies -- they're Reester Bunnies! Ha, ha! Isn't that funny? That's what we call a "play on words" in marketing terms. I'm sorry... Did you say I was fired?


Do I look like Peter F**ckin' Rabbit to you, motherf**ker?


Ummm, rainbow-flavored grass. Stoner food disguised as kiddie treats.


Nothing says "yummy" more than farm animals crapping for your eating enjoyment.


Pssst. Hey, Timmy. So Mommy and Daddy are getting a divorce. Buck up and eat your Easter candy, you whiner!


The perfect bunny for little bullies. Even easier than pulling the wings off flies.

Fosters Carers Needed

"I should be the poster child for animal rights. I am slaughtered for my fur. I am slaughtered for my meat. I am factory farmed in rabbit mills. I am tortured by vivisectors in their ‘labs.’ I am the third most commonly ‘euthanized’ companion animal. I am hunted and snared. I am the object of blood sports. I am often cruelly abused. I am given as a live animal prize. I languish in pet stores. Why aren’t I?”

—Poster from RabbitWise, Inc., a rabbit advocacy organization.

It's coming up to Easter and us bunny lovers are worried about the influx that comes after bunnies given as gifts lose their novelty.

Shelters are full. Foster carers scarce. The general public uncaring. Who will look after these poor lost souls??

Please, if you are able to give some love to a bun that needs your help, contact me as soon as you can. Bunnybooksydney@hotmail.com or leave a comment with your contact details below and I will contact you to let you know the process. I am with Sydney Pet Rescue and Adoption, a registered not for profit with the WSPA.

Bunny Biz #3

Our First Hoppy Ever After happened on 8th April 2011

Our first successful rehome since starting one month ago!

Wolfgang was a privately rescued bunny residing with 5 others who picked on him. He needed his own space and some one on one love and care.

Hans, who lost his dear bunny Pepe during surgery, needed a new friend and found Wolfgang through a BunnyBook Gumtree ad. So now Wolfgang (now Wolfgang Amadeus!) is snuggling with Hans on his couch with his partner and housemate and living a life of luxury.

Two great facebook groups for people who can help or need help:

Animal Foster Carers Society- This page is a place where animal foster carers from all walks of life can unite. You can share experiences, tips, information and special moments that you have with your foster companions. 

Australian Animal Rescue Transport- to connect fosters, shelters and rescues with people who can transport animals to their destinations and visa versa.

Hop the film (out in time for Easter [of course])

Animal rescue organizations across the country are bracing for their much-dreaded, annual Easter buying spree. This year, compounded by it being the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Rabbit, and of course, the popular new family movie, “Hop”, there is going to be an even larger upswing in impulse purchases. from here.

Lets try educate all our acquaintances that even though its Easter, Year of the Rabbit and movies such as Hop make bunnies seem cute and appealing- that a plush toy or cruelty free chocolate is a much better gift for these occasions and for children in general!

Or try to win this from Animals Australia:

For your chance to win simply pledge to Say 'NO' to animal testing by refusing to support companies that test on animals. When you sign the pledge we'll send you an e-mail with all the tips you need to shop cruelty-free!

More here.

Group in rabbit stew over heritage impact

THE Pittwater Natural Heritage Association is on a mission to ban rabbits being sold as pets.

The group has sent letters to pet shops from Manly to Avalon Beach, asking them to consider not selling rabbits and suggesting guinea pigs as an alternative pet.

It has also asked the Animal Welfare League to give away only desexed rabbits.

Read the full article here.

Please see my comment below and also add your opinion here and on the article page!

Be sweet to Bunnies this Easter

Why do bunnies need our help?

Though it's illegal to test cosmetics and toiletries on animals in Australia, a loophole allows products that have been tested in laboratories overseas to still be sold in Australian supermarkets.


One of the most common animal tests is theDraize test, in which rabbits are restrained and have chemicals dripped to their sensitive eyes. They are often left to languish for days, unable to paw at their inflamed eyes to remove the painful substances.


Many people don't know that some of the most popular brands such asColgate/Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, andL'Oreal fund cruel and unnecessary tests that burn, poison, and kill millions of animals every year. You can help to convince these companies to quickly adopt humane alternatives to animal tests by demanding that animal tested cosmetics be banned in Australia. Please click here to take action.


On behalf of all animals who deserve to be free from laboratories, thank you for your support. We wish you a very happy, cruelty-free Easter!


From the Animals Australia team