If you know me then you'll know I'm crazy about rabbits, with most of my spare time taken up either by looking after my own bunnies, helping at my local rabbit rescue centre or volunteering for the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF)  to improve the lives of pet rabbits in general.   

Despite being the third most popular pet in the UK, rabbits are among the most abused and neglected.  Countless rabbits spend miserable lives confined to a small hutch, alone and with little or no exercise, mostly because of the ignorance of their owners.

The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) aims to improve the lives of pet rabbits in the UK by making people realise that rabbits are not toys to be bought on a whim, but intelligent creatures that need space, exercise, companionship and stimulation.  Please see our website: www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk.  We are run almost entirely by volunteers who give up their time because they feel so passionate about the problem.

In the wild, rabbits live in large social groups, and of course have all the space they need, but most domestic rabbits are kept alone and have no room to exercise.  They are often bought for a child because they are cute and fluffy but when the novelty wears off and they spend their lives in a wooden box at the bottom of the garden.  As well as the sheer misery and frustration of the solitary confinement, they often also suffer health problems due to improper diet and lack of exercise.  Because rabbits are so cheap to buy, people think it's not worth paying more than the cost of the animal to get it neutered, vaccinated or have other treatment so the rabbit continues to suffer.

Rabbits pay a huge price for being silent animals - you wouldn't keep a dog in a cage because it would bark and whine until you let it out, or until your neighbours complained. 

I'll get off my soapbox now and get to the point.  I'm doing a parachute jump on 29th April at Headcorn Parachute Club in Kent to raise money for the RWAF to continue its fine work in educating the public that rabbits deserve better.  I'm paying for the jump myself so ALL funds raised will go to this worthy cause.  I'm hoping to raise at least £1500, which will make a massive difference.  Please help, you probably never thought there was a need for a charity to improve the lives of pet rabbits but hopefully after reading this you'll see why we do what we do.

Cheers!

Al