The pet shop that was recently in the spotlight for allegedly selling sick rabbits claims that the rabbits in question were not for sale.

Owner Jane Saunders claims that the complainant insisted on buying the sick rabbits. She further says that she was shown other rabbits that were fit to purchase but did not want them.

Saunders states that, “Two unknown young males… had the rabbits and wanted to know if we would buy the rabbits from them because they needed money. The children seemed very needy.”

She continues to say that, “I placed the rabbits in a separate cage for recovery. They were provided with shelter, food, and clean water. There are still two of the rabbits with me that have recovered very well and any person is welcome to view them at any time. I will not place them up for sale until everybody is happy that their condition improved tremendously.”

Saunders states that unwanted animals are left at the store on a regular basis and that she has no choice but to take them in and look after them. She states that she has an agreement with the SPCA to help her with regards to the unwanted animals left at the store. She says that the only reason she did not inform the SPCA about the rabbits was because the incident happened on a weekend and that she was not aware that they collect over weekends.

She also adds that in no way did the staff member who handled the sale treat the animals in any way that would harm them.

“I would however like to commend the complainant for her passion and care for the well-being of animals. Subsequent to this incident I have also implemented a register system to record the details of all persons that bring animals to me. This will ensure that I will be in a position to report these persons to the SPCA myself in future. We are all committed to an environment where all animals kept are treated humanely and well kept.”

Related articles: