Zap's Flyers Distribution Fees

Zap is a 4 years old Rex rabbit who has lived the last 2 years in a dark, wire bottom cage in the back of a feed store in Colorado. The owners said that they used to have a lady come to let him out 1-2 hours a week but she is not coming anymore. The House Rabbit Society recommends that bunnies be roamed 30 hours a week outside the cage. I offered the owners $400 cash to give him to me but they won't! They call him their "store bunny" or "money bunny" because people like to come into the store to pet him. Like a show animal to attract customers or a petting zoo except it is one lonely bunny in a dark cage.  They allowed me to come in to let him out 4-8 hours a week for over 3 weeks but they no longer let me visit him. 

Although they say they keep him there because their customers like it, I only saw 3 people petting him during the 3 weeks that I was there.  Two of those people said they came over to pet him because they feel sorry for him being in a cage all the time.  His nails were extremely long and after reminding them multiple times over more than 2 weeks, I finally brought him to the owner and begged her to clip them before she finally did it.  I offered him herbs and fruits but he won't touch them.  That is probably because he was never fed them so he doesn't know what they are!  He is very sweet but very sad and lonely!  

The owners used to be rabbit breeders for 35 years but have since retired.  They have always had a bunny in that cage the last 23 years since they opened the store.  The bunny before Zap lived in that cage until he was more than 10 years old and they put him to sleep.   They bought Zap, a show bunny,  from another breeder and he has been in there for 2 years.  They have the breeders/bunny mills mentality and see nothing wrong with him being caged all the time.  They insist that he is fine and that many rabbits live in wire bottom cages much smaller than his!  I brought a small cat bed, various cushions and a wheatgrass mat asking them if I can put them in his cage but they said no to everything. 

The owners contend that they abide by the Breeders Association Standards but breeders standards are for commercial purposes and hardly adequate for pet rabbits.  Rabbits are social animals and are not meant to live alone in a cage, as a store decoration.  Rabbits run and hop!  How are they supposed to run and hop if they were in a cage?  I contacted Animal Control and PETA but neither would help me.  They said that as long as he has food, being caged 24/7 is not illegal!

On April 7, I came in with some people asking them to give him to me or we protest and they refused.  They are no longer letting me visit him!  The owner said that he would just take him home and I asked him if Zap would also be in a cage, he said yes, just like the numerous rabbits they raised during their 35 years of being breeders! 

I posted it on FB and many people bombarded their FB page with negative reviews.  After a couple hours of negative publicity, they took down their FB page.  Someone also reported that they removed Zap from the store.  He is probably at their house now in a cage.  Well, we don't want him to be caged, in the store or at their home.  We will not let up until they release him to me or a shelter where he can be adopted to a good home where he can roam free without being caged.  I adopted my bunnies from the nearby Foothills Shelter which is a beautiful, new facility.  

We need to raise $400 to have 1,000 flyers distributed to the surrounding area of the store asking the locals to help free Zap.  The local business is extremely important to the owners and the pressure from local bad publicity is the ONLY thing that may change their mind to release Zap!  Please help contribute any amount you can because distribution of the flyers is the MOST IMPORTANT part of our fight to free Zap!

We are also having a letter-writing campaign to the store for Zap at Walker's Quality Cage and Feed at 4298 Kipling St., Suite A, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 so please write to them and let them know what you think.  When you write the letter, do not say anything that could be perceived as a threat or illegal acts. We want to show that we are a group of strong, passionate and resilient animal lovers but not nasty or uncivil.  We do not know their email so we will need to do it by regular, postal mail.  You can get a sample letter at :

https://www.change.org/p/lauren-free-zap-the-caged-bunny-in-a-store/u/22640682

You can also join over 1,500 other compassionate animal lovers to sign the Petition to free Zap at

https://www.change.org/p/lauren-free-zap-the-caged-bunny-in-a-store

You can also follow our fight to free Zap and get updates on his FB page at

https://www.facebook.com/Operation-Free-Zap-the-Bunny-199365540650438/


Thank You So Very Much for Your Love and Support for Zap!    I am extremely grateful for the outpouring of love for Zap from all animal lovers around the world!