A newly formed animal protection organisation called “Villikanínur” has dedicated itself to saving feral bunnies in Iceland.
Following the deaths of a large number of bunnies in the Elliðaár valley due to a contagious liver infection last March, two women decided to establish the organisation.
Their goal is to save the rabbits, vaccinate them and take them to the vet, according to Júlía Fanney Jóhannesdóttir, one of the founders of the animal protection association “Villikanínur”.
According to Vísir, she and her co-founder Sonja Daníelsdóttir have saved about eighty rabbits at this point, many of which have already multiplied.
“So we’ve got a bunch of young ones now. We’ve learned a lot from this and have foster homes all over. We couldn’t have done it without them,” Sonja says.
But rabbits are still dying in the Elliðaár valley. More work will be have to be done to save them and there are many rabbits in various parts of the country that they also intend to rescue.
“They are everywhere. People are releasing them and they are multiplying,” says Júlía Fanney.
She adds that the bunnies generally don’t feel well in the Icelandic outdoors, as they can’t adjust their body temperatures if they get wet. Which is very unfortunate in Icelandic conditions.
Once Júlía Fanney and Sonja save a bunny and after it feels better, they find a home for it.
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