What belongs in an Easter basket: mouth-watering chocolate, jellybean-filled plastic eggs, and pastel-colored candy. What doesn't: bunnies, at least not the real kind.

That's the message behind Make Mine Chocolate, a campaign that urges consumers to stop and think about the life-long care and attention that a rabbit requires before buying one.

The goal of the campaign, launched in 2002 by the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the House Rabbit Society, is to help reduce the large numbers of rabbits who are relinquished by their owners.

"Animal shelters and rabbit adoption groups receive calls every day from people who want to relinquish their pet rabbit," says Karalee Curry, chapter manager of the society. "It's a year-long problem, but especially relevant during Easter. We are asking people to suppress the urge to buy a cute bunny on an impulse or as a gift for their children this Easter and instead buy chocolate bunnies."

Animal lovers who want to help spread the message can start by raising awareness in their own community. Make Mine Chocolate uses flyers, pins, public service announcements and other forms of publicity to help advertise their cause and educate the public about the challenges of caring for a rabbit.

Despite being small, cute and cuddly, rabbits are a breed apart from hamsters, guinea pigs and other small mammals kept as pets. "People need to understand that a rabbit is not a stuffed animal or a toy—they are fragile animals who require a great deal of special care, different from other pets," says Adam Goldfarb, outreach assistant in the Companion Animals section at The HSUS. "Without first doing thorough research, including talking with rabbit adoption groups or their local shelter, most people are unlikely to anticipate the amount of care and attention that rabbits require."

Months, weeks or even days after buying a rabbit, new bunny guardians, overwhelmed by a pet that they can no longer care for, often relinquish their former charges, adding to an already constant stream of homeless animals.

"Each year, hundreds of thousands of rabbits are abandoned in the wild or dropped off at the local shelter after people realize that they weren't prepared to provide the kind of care a rabbit needs," says Goldfarb.

“Rabbits are the third most frequently relinquished pet at animal shelters,” says Curry. “People who are concerned that there are too many homeless dogs and cats need to realize that rabbits are also part of the equation of too many pets and too few homes."

The magnitude of the rabbit overpopulation problem and the broad appeal of Make Mine Chocolate prompted the organizers to expand their local campaign into a national effort for the first time this year. "We've broadened the scope of Make Mine Chocolate and we've had a fantastic response so far," says Curry. In addition to efforts by caring individuals, humane organizations across the country, including animal shelters, adoption groups and national organizations, have been invited to integrate the campaign into their education efforts. “Everyone can get involved one way or another," says Curry.

Want to pitch in and spread the word? You can help in four simple ways:

1. Get the Word Out. Print out flyers* and post them on your bulletin board at work, in grocery stores, laundromats, vet offices, libraries, and other businesses around town. Download postcards* and give them to your friends and family. And find out what else you can do to get your community involved.

2. Fast Forward. Send this article to friends and forward on the message of Make Mine Chocolate.

3. Purchasing Power. Buy a Make Mine Chocolate ceramic bunny pin, magnet, t-shirt or sweatshirt and wear it proudly**. "Wearing the pin is a great conversation starter," says Curry. "Every day I have people asking me what it is, and it gives me a chance to talk about the campaign."

4. Speak Your Mind. If someone you know mentions that they're thinking of adopting a rabbit, encourage them to log on to www.hsus.org for more information on rabbit care.

Reprinted with permission of The Humane Society of the United States.

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