CottonTails® Rabbit and Guinea Pig Rescue
 Annual Report 2009
Charity Number 1078850
www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk

Established in 1993

Main Name:  CottonTails®

Working Name:  CottonTails® Rescue

Charitable Objects:  To relieve the suffering of rabbits and other animals who are in need of care and attention in particular by providing and maintaining suitable accommodation for the reception and care of unwanted rabbits and other animals.

To advance the education of the public in the care and ownership of animals.

General

     This year has proved to be very busy, with a steady stream of rabbits, guinea pigs and birds arriving throughout the year.  Successful refurbishment was carried out on the upper hutches, only to find that the lower ones had failed badly in the excessively wet and freezing weather of the winter.  Their replacement will be top priority for 2010.

     Financially in 2009 we have been extremely fortunate to receive a legacy from a very kind lady who had a passion for rabbits, the proceeds from the sale of her home being split between 3 charities.  This has made a huge difference to CottonTails® and has enabled us to plan ahead and replace worn out equipment and secure our future for a while longer. 

     The CottonTails® website continues to go from strength to strength, and is a vital part of the charity’s ability to educate and inform on a local, national and international basis.  I am constantly thinking of new ways to get our message across and thus help to improve the lives of rabbits and guinea pigs by providing user-friendly information in as entertaining a way as possible. 

     CottonTails® took part in the Westbury Christmas Tree Festival in 2009, and this earned us some much-needed publicity for the charity.  The tree was well received, and many of our free leaflets were taken.

     The telephone advice line continues to be well used, with a great many callers phoning daily to request help. Requests for help or advice via email has continued to increase steadily throughout the year.

RABBITS

     During 2009, 138 rabbits were taken in, with the waiting list system being used frequently throughout the year.

Statistics

Sexes – There were as many males as females taken in, showing there was no bias towards either sex as far as the people bringing them in was concerned.

Pairs versus singles – The majority of rabbits (68%) were adopted as match-ups for owners’ lonely bunnies, the remaining 32% being adopted as established pairs.  This is largely due to our good reputation for high success rates with match-ups of bunnies of all ages.

Breeds - Lops comprised 45% of the intake, upright eared rabbits making up the remaining 55%.  Of the upright eared breeds, 40% were lionheads, a breed that proved to be very popular in the pet shops and thus also very prevalent in rescue centres as a result.

Age - Most of the rabbits taken in were between 1-3 years of age (36%), with 18% of the intake being under 12 weeks (babies, usually arriving in litters), 30% between 12 weeks and 1 year.  Rabbits over 4 years of age consisted of the remaining 16% of the total intake.  See histogram below. 

Adoption timescale – This is calculated from the day the rabbit was actually ready for adoption after neutering and vaccinating.  81% were found new homes within 1 month, the remaining 19% between 1 – 3 months. See histogram below.

 

In common with previous years, frequent occurrence of dental disease was encountered, with 32% of the intake found to have significant teeth abnormalities, an increase of 11% from last year, possibly due to the higher numbers of lionhead-type rabbits arriving at the centre than in previous years.  Our neutering policy continued as before, with rabbits of both sexes being routinely castrated or spayed at reduced cost by the RSPCA veterinary clinic in Bristol.  Vaccination against VHD and Myxomatosis was given to all rabbits prior to adoption, as well as the routine 9 days of Panacur administered to each rabbit before adoption.  This medication ensures that all rabbits are free from the common parasite E. cuniculi before they are re-homed.  In addition, we have just started in December 2009 to administer a product called Advantage to each rabbit which ensures that any fur mites, fleas or lice present are safely destroyed.

     Our catchment area has proved to be relatively wide, with 52% of people adopting rabbits or guinea pigs coming from Wiltshire, 14% from Bristol, 11% from Bath, 10% from Somerset and 13% from other areas.  For people who brought in their rabbit or guinea pig to us, 44% came from Wiltshire, 26% from Bristol, 18% from Somerset, 9% from Bath 3% from other areas.

     The intake of guinea pigs for 2009 was 117. 

Sexes - Of the total intake, 40% were male, 60% females.  All single males were routinely castrated so that they could be matched with females and placed for adoption in pairs or as match-ups. 

Pairs versus singles – Unlike rabbits, the majority of guinea pigs (61%) were adopted as established pairs, the remaining 39% being adopted as match-ups for owners’ lonely guinea pigs.

Age – Due to the high number of pregnant females taken in during the year, most of the guinea pigs were less than 12 weeks of age (40%), with 38% being 1-3 years of age, and 18% between 6 months and 1 year.  Only 4% were aged 4 years or over – see histogram below.

Adoption timescale – Most guinea pigs (85%) were adopted within 1 month (calculated from the point that they were ready for adoption), the remaining 15% finding a new home within 3 months – see histogram below.

ACCOUNTS

RECEIPTS 

Diagram of Income (legacy not included in calculation)

     Total income for 2009 was £51,556.68, a figure due largely to the generosity of a legacy of £33,620.78 left to CottonTails® by Mrs. Temlett-Marke, a kind lady who loved her pet rabbits.  The diagram to illustrate income was calculated without including the legacy to better reflect the general income of the charity.  Gift Aid has again proved useful, providing us with over £2000 of extra funding which will be included in the accounts for 2010 as we apply for the award at the start of each year for the year just gone.  Several individuals and organisations have been invaluable to the continuation of CottonTails® financially.  I would like to give a very big thank you to each and every one who helped even in a small way, and my sincere apologies if I have omitted anyone from the list.  There are two individuals who contribute by standing order every month but due to data protection the bank is unable to give me their details, so sadly I am unable to include them below.  If the donors concerned would like to contact me with their identities I will gladly update the details.

Organisations:

Barry Green Memorial Fund (£2000)

Animal Affairs (£800)

Pets At Home Charitable Foundation (£500)

Rabbit Welfare Fund £366.77

Highcroft Vets Bunny Evening £36

Eastcott Vets “name the bunny” competition £12.76

Forthill Primary School class P4a £404.13

Individuals:

Mrs. Sarah Patricia Temlett-Marke

Jane Merrick                                                                                                            

Mr. and Mrs. Abbott

Mrs. Lesley Smith

James Arrowsmith-Brown

Stacey Dagger

Juliette Cuss

Barbara Coe

Lucy Newbury

Paul Derrick

Heather Hueston

Kate Hampton

Dr. Sarah Hewitt

Christine Muddiman 

Lucy Parsons

Mother of Debbie Pitney

James Percival

Martin and Felicity Jones

Susan Bird on behalf of Jessica and Katie

Barry for donation of Bath rugy ball for auction

Kathryn Gajparia

Jenny Xavier

Beverley Mage

Diane and Jim Cruickshank

In memory of Barbara Hannan

Barry and Hazel Lambert

Mr. and Mrs. Semple, in memory of Warren

Mr. and Mrs. Venn

Mrs. Elaine Irvine

Tim Jenkins (in memory of Arthur)

Miss Anthea Miller

Helen Barsby

PAYMENTS 

Diagram of Expenditure (vehicle purchase not included)

      Our total expenditure for 2008 was £18,562.03.  Notable expenses included a replacement vehicle, Public and Employers Liability Insurance, refurbishment of all the upper rabbit hutches, purchase of some new guinea pig hutches, replacement of printer, replacement video camera for rabbit/guinea pig YouTube films. CottonTails® ended the year in credit by £32,994.65.

     Although my husband had very kindly put up with his car being used and abused several times a week for 12 years to take rabbit waste to the tip and to collect hay, straw and shavings, the vehicle finally became unreliable and the decision was made to purchase a second-hand replacement.  He decided this time to purchase a vehicle for family use only, and as we had the funds available, CottonTails funded the purchase of a second-hand estate car to continue with the much-needed transport of waste, bedding and animals.  This was only possible due to the kind legacy we had received earlier in the year. 

     The camcorder that had been purchased a couple of years ago for filming rabbits and guinea pigs available for adoption (the YouTube links are a very popular part of the CottonTails® website) had started to malfunction, and the advice from the manufacturers was that it was not worth repairing.  The decision was made therefore to purchase another camera, which I have been using successfully for some months. 

     Refurbishment of the upper hutches was carried out as a matter of urgency, and the replacement of the lower hutches will be top priority for 2010.

Acknowledgements

     CottonTails® could not continue its valuable work if it was not for the excellent support from some wonderful people who have given help in various ways.  Sincere apologies for any omissions:

The Trustees for their continued support.

Mr. Abbott for checking the accounts.

The RSPCA veterinary team headed by Damian Pacini in Bristol who carry out our neutering operations and most of our vaccinations, and without whom we could not continue.

Anne Mitchell of the RWA for her continued support.

Dennyse, Hazel, Siobhan, Maria, Rachel and Claire who all took at least one turn to transport rabbits and guinea pigs to and from the vets in Bristol for neutering.

Carol and Barrie who continue helping to cleaning out on Saturdays and contribute so much to the rescue.

Stephen who also helps on a Saturday morning.

Steve Perry for giving us support in various ways, including advice on computer issues.

Jon Humphrey for his patience and support with issues relating to the web site, and Sue Hunter for enthusiastically providing suggestions for publicity and awareness campaigns.

My son Ben for continuing to care for the aviary birds, son David for taking on the rabbit water bottle duties, and youngest son Fraser for general chicken duties.

Last but not least, my husband Francis who not only provides the transport for the frequent waste disposal trips, medication, food and bedding pickups from the vet and rabbit/guinea pig rescues but also puts up with the inconvenience of living alongside a rabbit rescue centre!