Rabbit adoption fees at city shelters will increase from $56 to $71 under an ordinance approved Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council to cover a new $15 fee for microchipping.
L.A. Animal Services will implant microchips before placing rabbits in adoptive homes or allowing owners to retrieve a pet bunny that got lost and ended up in a shelter. The city already does this with dogs and cats.
The mandatory microchips help reunite stray rabbits with their owners, while helping the Animal Services department identify animal hoarders, people who abandon pets and people who keep their pets in poor conditions, city officials said.
Animal Service Department General Manager Brenda Barnette previously told the council’s Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee that microchipping rabbits will be most useful as a tool to target hoarders.
“I believe the growth of the population of rabbits … in Los Angeles is going to continue, so it’s something we need to be aware of,” she said.
Last year, 918 rabbits were adopted from city shelters, according to city records.
— City News Service