In July 2020, Crystal Toreson-Kern and her daughter Emma were browsing Craigslist, looking at cute animals, when they came upon a post of rabbits being sold for meat. The family didn’t set out to start Cottontail Bunny Rescue, but everything naturally followed from the jolt of reading this ad, Crystal says. The family already had a Holland Lop rabbit, Harry, so they were no strangers to rabbit care.

“We didn’t have a huge plan, just that we needed to rescue a few. We didn’t want these cute little rabbits to be living in cages and sold for meat,” Crystal says.

Crystal wasn’t sure what to expect when she met the people selling the rabbits, but she says they were very respectful and welcoming, but the rabbits were part of their livelihood. In one case, Crystal says she rescued the rabbits from a ten-year-old boy.

“It’s a way of living unless you have a paradigm shift,” says Crystal, who was a pescatarian for eight years until she became vegan a year ago. “With the rabbits, it just kicks in more because it’s a visual thing. We’re so conditioned to just do our daily routines, including what we eat.”

The family purchased six rabbits, took them home, and started getting into a routine that would eventually materialize in their rescue. The rabbits were timid initially, and Crystal says it was joyful for her family to watch them come out of their shells.

Learning limits was important for the family. At one point, they had nineteen rabbits.

“That was wild,” Crystal says. “During the burnout, I thought, ‘Gosh, I think we’re done.’ At this point, we’re continuing at a healthy balance.”

In addition to rescuing the rabbits and finding them homes—the family has rescued thirty-one rabbits so far—education is extremely important to Crystal. Many people don’t realize that rabbits can be litter trained or the importance of spaying or neutering the animal. Crystal also loves talking about the benefits.

“They’ve helped me with depression and anxiety,” Crystal says. “Even people I’ve adopted them out to have had less illness symptoms. They really do bring a comfort and ease. Of course, like any pet, having them need us to take care of keeps us moving.”

For information about adoptable rabbits as well as donation information, you can visit the rescue’s Facebook page, Cottontail Bunny Rescue.