This Easter season, Pets at Home will be banning the sale of rabbits in their store. The interest in rabbits usually increases during this time of year and are often left abandoned after the Easter holiday.
In an effort to draw attention to the increase of abandoned rabbits after Easter they will ban the sale of rabbits beginning on Good Friday, March 25 and will resume on March 29, Tuesday according to Pet Gazette. During the Holidays, they'll be conducting workshops across the U.K. to educate pet rabbit owners instead.
"We pride ourselves on putting pets before profit so we've decided not to sell rabbits over the Easter weekend," Pets at Home Chief Operating Officer Peter Pritchard said. They also released their statements on their social media page last March 19.
They released a statement on their Facebook page informing the public of the welfare workshops that they will be conducting in selected store locations. "These sessions will cover the welfare needs of rabbits - shelter, food and water, good health, appropriate company and the right living environment - and will help families to make an informed decision about the long-term commitment and responsibilities that come with pet ownership."
They also have plans of offering gift cards which customers can use after the Easter holidays. These will be given out during the workshops. For the children who have hopes of bringing home a pet rabbit, Pets at Home will replace it with a chocolate treat for their patience.
According to the studies they conducted, rabbits are the third most popular with an estimated 1.3 million rabbits being raised as pets. Pets at Home, who banned their rabbit sales for the first time in history, received praise from their followers on social media who commended the company for their stand on pet rabbits.
