PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Pete City Council will hold a second reading and public hearing to ban the sale of rabbits by pet stores on Thursday.
The city already bans the sale of dogs and cats, so this move will add rabbits to the list. It comes at a time when local shelters are overwhelmed with the high number of rabbit rescues.
Last year, The Tampa Bay Humane Society Reported 275 rabbit rescues. The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported 300.
Kurtis Marsh with the Suncoast House Rabbit Rescue said those numbers are just too high.
“The worst part, especially in the St. Pete area, is we’re finding brand new babies, so people are buying them and dumping them within a couple weeks of buying them,” Marsh said.
He explained the survival rate for abandoned baby bunnies is really low, which is why he thinks the ban will make a big difference. He said he hopes Pinellas County leaders will follow in the city’s footsteps.
“We've convinced Hillsborough and Pasco County. We’re hoping that we can get Manatee and Pinellas county to recognize it,” Marsh said.
Councilwoman Lisset Hanewicz sent ABC Action News a statement that reads, “The proposed ordinance seeks to add rabbits to our existing retail sales ban, which currently includes dogs and cats. We hope that by banning the sale of pet rabbits, we can reduce the number of abandoned rabbits, which places a heavy strain on shelters and rescue organizations. I am thankful to the community stakeholders who brought this issue to the City Council’s attention and advocated for a retail sales ban to protect the welfare of these animals.”
The city council meeting starts at 3 p.m. The public hearing starts at 5 p.m. at St. Pete City Hall.
