GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – The Easter bunny is not a pet, and live rabbits should not be given as gifts. That's the message from the Animal Humane Society. Spokesperson Deb Balzer says rabbits are the third most commonly surrendered animal, behind cats and dogs - and this time of year is when they start seeing an influx of unwanted bunnies. Her advice is to resist the urge or impulse to give live animals, like baby rabbits or chicks, to children as gifts.

"That novelty's going to wear off, and that animal is not necessarily going to be the companion or the pet that they thought. So, what happens is those animals are unwanted and will end up likely at a shelter's door."

The Animal Humane Society urges families to thoroughly research which type of pet would best suit their lifestyle, consider the time and money required to properly care for the animal, and make sure all family members agree with the pet choice before adopting.

Sometimes when families don't know what to do with an unwanted bunny, they try to release them outside. However, Balzer says domestic rabbits are bred to be pets and cannot survive on their own.

"They don't have the ability to adapt, especially in the cold weather. If you're not able to care for your rabbit anymore, please surrender it to a shelter – please, do not abandon your pet rabbits out into the wild. They will not survive without our help."

Likewise, wild rabbits are not suitable pets, and should not be captured or brought inside. Last year, says Balzer, her organization took in more than 1,000 rabbits, many of which were supposedly "rescued" by well-intentioned people who came across a nest of babies they thought were abandoned.

"What's really going on is, the mother is nearby, but they're not always with the nest. Then what happens is that basically, we're kidnapping those bunnies and bringing them in for help. Most of the time those nests are just fine, and they're not orphaned at all."

For those concerned about the baby bunnies, Balzer's advice is to watch the nest for a day or two to see if the mama rabbit comes home. The group's website, animalhumanesociety.org, contains more information on what to do about injured or orphaned wildlife.

And for folks who already have pets, Balzer offers the following tips to prevent an emergency trip to the vet this weekend:

"Enjoy your holiday, but make sure it's safe for your pets too, by ensuring that your candy is up, Easter grass is up, and also be careful of your Easter lilies, because they can be toxic to cats if ingested."




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Researchers at Colorado State University are making headway in identifying how osteoarthritis progresses in horses, and their findings could one day also help people who develop the degenerative disease after injuring a knee, elbow or shoulder.

Lynn Pezzanite, doctor of veterinary medicine and assistant professor at Colorado State University, said the disease affects nearly eight in ten horses over age 15.

"It's the most common disorder affecting joints in horses, as well as in people, and one of the most common disorders that we treat overall in horses. It's one of the most common reasons horses present to a veterinarian," she said.

Pezzanite and her team are hoping to find markers of how osteoarthritis develops in horses by studying individual immune cells in joint fluid. Those markers may provide insights on how veterinarians can use gene therapies or other treatments at specific stages to slow the disease's progression.

Typically, people and animals only show signs of osteoarthritis at advanced stages, when they experience joint pain. Pezzanite believes information in immune cells might expose the disease much earlier, even before evidence appears on X-rays.

"Our goal with this work is to look at those very early stages in horses that have post-traumatic arthritis, so that we can determine that tipping point of when we should be intervening or not. And hopefully this will inform treatment in humans as well," she continued.

Pezzanite said people could benefit from this research if the immune markers can be translated across species. Physicians would have better information about when to intervene before full-blown osteoarthritis develops.

"If you're playing soccer and twist your knee, tear your ACL, we would potentially be able to take a sample of that joint fluid and know whether you're going to develop arthritis or not," she explained. "Which would allow us to be more aggressive in treatment of that joint."

Some Hoosiers want Indiana lawmakers to rethink proposed legislation that would usurp existing local laws that prohibit retailers from selling puppies. Legislators listened to emotional testimony during a 3.5 hour hearing on the proposed law, which was revived from last year's session.

Dr. Scott Robinson, a physician and attorney who also founded a low-cost spay and neuter center in Indianapolis, told the Senate Agriculture Committee there's no mystery about House Bill 1412. Pet stores support the legislation because they're trying to keep themselves from being forced out of business.

"I've been involved in animal welfare for a long time, and I've seen over the years many wolves in sheep's clothing and that's what this is about," Robinson argued. "There's plenty of regulations that can be made to monitor puppy mills, but this is designed to usurp local control of communities and protect pet stores."

Robinson said the issue is not a Republican or Democrat problem -- regardless of party affiliation, people care about their animals. If passed, the bill will overturn bans on retail puppy sales in 21 Indiana communities. Proponents say the law would allow pet stores the option to sell puppies as long as the animals are from ethically sourced suppliers.

Lori Wilson, CEO of Uncle Bill's Pet Centers, who operates six stores throughout Indiana, supports the proposed legislation.

"We are very transparent. We're open door," she intoned. "Being USDA, you have to be open door, so we are very picky. I actually go to many of the kennels to make sure that they are exactly what we want them to be and need them to be, to be able to source humanely and ethically raised puppies."

Opponents say the bill lacks funding to support the agencies tasked with enforcing laws. This is not a budget year for Indiana lawmakers, so any funding to support the proposed mandate would not come before 2025.


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Spring brings about migration season for birds, but home and workplace windows can often prevent them from getting to their final destination.

Wayne State University has been awarded a grant by The Detroit Zoological Society to conduct research on bird mortality from window strikes.

Ava Landraf, conservation and research coordinator with Detroit Bird Alliance, said more than half of the bird window strikes happen at low-rise and residential buildings, and not on skyscrapers as most would imagine.

"Most people don't know that bird-window collisions are the second highest cause of direct human-caused mortality of birds. And this is surpassed only by outdoor and feral cats," Landraf said.

The Smithsonian Institution finds many bird window strikes happen because of less darkness at night and an increase in artificial light caused by streetlights and lighted office buildings.

The research shows 33% of the world's population cannot see the Milky Way galaxy due to light pollution, and for birds that navigate using the stars, this hazy sky is having deadly results.

Landraf said Wayne State University faculty and students have had concerns about bird strikes over the years, but the opportunity to do something about it never materialized until they got this grant. She added it's scary to find a small number of dead birds around the campus, knowing there are many window strikes.

"A lot of the birds will hit a window, have that head trauma and then, fly off and then die later," Landraf said. "Even if they hit the window and they die right there, they're either picked up and eaten by a scavenger or the building caretakers just sweep the birds right up."

Based on the Detroit Bird Alliance's findings from tracking bird strikes, CollidEscape, an adhesive film that reduces reflections outside, was applied on the first- and second-floor windows of the university's Law School building as part of the research. She suggested people contact the Bird Alliance for other potential solutions, and also suggested checking the website birdmapper.org to see which areas experience more bird-window strikes around the world.


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