Bunny Park animals in community’s good hands

The Bunny Park Volunteer Group (Volunteers) continues with its weekly clean-up operations in the park.

With 38 bunnies taken from the park on September 13, the group is getting closer to removing all the bunnies, after which they will be treated, sterilised and put up for adoption.

The plan is to bring about 100 sterilised bunnies back to the park, to be kept in an enclosed area, with the goal of preventing overpopulation and future outbreaks of diseases.

While the Volunteers look after the bunnies, the other animals are not being neglected.

Dr Simone Kotze (Northmead Veterinary Clinic), Jared Samson (Kenzie Equestrian Centre) and Anthony Ward and his team (Highland Farriers), among others, tended to the animals. Samson (dentist) filed down and cleaned the donkeys’ teeth, while Ward worked on their hooves and Kotze checked the animals’ general health.

“The condition of the donkeys’ teeth was not too bad, the work was fairly routine,” said Samson.

“The teeth and hooves had to be looked at, but there were no problems with their health otherwise,” said Kotze.

The group also treated a goat that had suffered from a bad hoof.

Additionally, Grade Five pupils from St Dunstan’s Preparatory School were due to visit the Bunny Park on Wednesday (September 23), to help clean up the grounds.

“Approximately 75 children will be involved,” said Peta-Anne Leigh, coordinator and teacher at the school.

“We plan to spend a few hours doing a general clean-up and will also bring fresh veggies for the bunnies.

“The Bunny Park is an iconic Benoni attraction and it deserves to be cared for and appreciated.”

Tania Forrest-Smith, from the Volunteers said there wasn’t fresh food in the park during their last clean-up.

“The litter we collected in rubbish bags three weeks ago is still at the park, it hasn’t been taken away yet,” Forrest-Smith said.

Weekly Bunny Park clean-ups are organised by the Volunteers, at 10am each Sunday.