Every year in Australia thousands of rabbits are factory farmed, housed in filthy, windowless sheds where they are confined to battery cages. They are imprisoned in these cages, where they are unable to display any forms of natural behaviour, for 10 -12 weeks, at which time they are sent to slaughter.

Rabbits are highly active creatures. They are prey for many wild animals, so have strong instincts to hop, run, rear up, forage and burrow. They live in complex family hierarchies. They require plenty of outdoor space in which to fulfil their natural behaviours.

The barren, restrictive environments found in factory farms can lead to rabbits developing abnormal stereotypical behaviours, such as excessive grooming and repetitive gnawing at the cage. Information shows that in intensive systems, rabbits can be so starved of any mental stimulation that out of sheer frustration they turn to self-mutilation and cannibalism.

Farmed rabbits suffer from a plethora of diseases and weakened bones. Mortality rates in this industry can be as great as 40%, this is the highest of any farmed animal species.

Furthermore, there is very little government inspection of properties, with many rabbit farms going unlicensed and unregulated for years.

For more information please visit www.freedomforfarmedrabbits.com