Lethbridge animal rescue on verge of shutting down

Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue now has about 40 rabbits spread across three intake homes in Lethbridge.

LETHBRIDGE -

Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue has been open about six years and, like many other animal rescues, it has seen a surge in surrenders.

It now has about 40 rabbits spread across three intake homes in Lethbridge.

"We were supposed to be just a foster-based rescue, which means when we get a bunny in, it goes into a foster home. But unfortunately, because of all the returns, we've had to open up our own personal homes to these rabbits," said Alyssa Koenig, Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue president.

Surrenders have been the leading cause of the overcrowding.

People who originally adopted the rabbits are having to return them, due to not having the time to properly care for them as well as rising inflation.

"The economy the way it is and everything like that, people can't keep their pets. ... Essentially, it's previously adopted bunnies being returned to the rescue," Koenig said.

That's pushed Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue to the brink.

The rescue hasn't been able to accept any new rabbits for the past year.

If things continue this way, it won't be long before the rescue will need to shut down.

"We don't have anywhere for the rabbits to go. And financially, we don't have the funding to, you know, buy a facility or build a facility or anything like that," Koenig said.

A GoFundMe has been organized to help the rescue stay open.

The goal is to raise $4,000.

Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue is grateful to have this kind of support from the community.

"It means a lot because I think rabbits are extremely misunderstood. They're known as rodents, which they're not. And they're known as pests. Things like that," Koenig said.

"But people don't realize that, like, they really are just like cats and dogs."