With Easter coming up, many of us are thinking about what kinds of small gifts to buy for family members, as well as possibly close friends and neighbors. Traditionally, because of the association with Spring, live rabbits and chicks have become victims of this holiday, through careless gift-giving practices.

While these animals may seem like novel gifts, we urge you to avoid buying (or even adopting) any live animals as gifts. Research into shelter statistics has shown that animals who have had the misfortune of being “gifts” are much more likely to end up unwanted at shelters, and then most often killed. This is because people and other animals are all individuals, and they all form bonds unique to their personalities. An animal you become attached to may not be the same one as the person who has expressed a mild interest in living with a member of that species. Every animal should have the opportunity to be adopted directly by the person who will be responsible for his or her care.

While we make this point generally for ALL animals, rabbits and chicks (who grow up to become chickens), have special needs, and are both very dissimilar to dogs and cats in their unique physical and emotional needs. Burdening others with the responsibility of learning how to properly care for, and to find veterinarians willing and able to treat these animals is unfair to the people involved, but even more so for the animals. Rabbit and chickens are not novelty gifts!

Every year, thousands of people buy live animals for Easter, especially as children’s gifts (as though small animals are “starter pets” and disposable), and with the mindset that until the children learn enough responsibility to care for a dog or cat, these small animals can be their first care-taking experiences. Sadly, the predictable outcome of this practice is that most of the baby animals die within a few weeks since they need special food and care and their bones are still very fragile and small children can easily break them.

For the remaining victims, a few weeks after Easter, the vast majority of these “gift” animals are dumped in fields or left on lawns, where predators kill them, or they end up at shelters, where most are killed due to a lack of homes.

Isn’t it appalling that 80% of shelter rabbits are abandoned Easter gifts?

Is there an alternative? Yes! Please buy dark chocolate products, or any of hundreds of vegan chocolate options, that are made without supporting any animal cruelty what-so-ever!

Rescue Chocolate offers vegan, organic chocolate and all its profits go to animal rescue organizations, including In Defense of Animals.

You can tell them to donate to us while buying these mouthwatering gifts and all the various flavors represent different animal issues for raising awareness.

Please celebrate a cruelty- free Easter. The rabbits and chickens thank you!