For most people who welcome an animal into their homes, their understanding is that their pet will become a new member of the family and that they'll be responsible for it throughout its lifetime.

Sadly, however, there are many people in the world who do not fulfill their responsibilities as pet owners and abandon them.

It's irresponsible to "throw away" a family pet by putting it in a basket, crate, or cardboard box and to leave it outside or on a stranger's doorstep without going through the proper channels and finding a willing foster home for it.

A rabbit owner's heartfelt plea

On the night of June 19th, 2022, certified pet care adviser and Twitter user 友希 Yuki (@craftrosebear) was traveling in Osaka, Japan. When they sat down on a bench to take a break, they saw something.

It was a cardboard box sealed tightly with duct tape. When they took a closer look at the box, they found this message written on it.

It's hard to believe, but there was an abandoned pet rabbit inside the box sealed with duct tape.

Even though it was mid-June, the temperature was already high, and in the worst-case scenario, the rabbit could have suffered a heat stroke. Yuki decided to save the rabbit, so they took the box home.

When they returned home and opened the cardboard box, the rabbit inside jumped into Yuki's arms, even though it was the first time it saw Yuki. It must have felt so lonely and scared in there.

Inside the cardboard box were pellets and grass, the rabbit's food. However, there was no drinking water in it.

Yuki decided to take the rabbit to a veterinary clinic. They had its claws, which had grown too long, neatly trimmed, and also asked the doctor to conduct a health checkup.

Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with the rabbit. However, for a while, it tended to panic at the sound of loud voices or other loud noises. Yuki called the rabbit Yunyun and welcomed it into their home.

Yuki's message

Luckily for Yunyun, Yuki was used to being a foster parent for animals, having cared for small rescued animals, including rabbits and hamsters, for a long time.

Since 2023 will be the Year of the Rabbit in the traditional zodiac, Yuki anticipates an increase in people wanting to have pet rabbits. Therefore, they want to alert people to the problem of abandonment.

Thanks to Yuki's loving care, Yunyun is a happier bunny. The number of times it has panic attacks has gradually decreased.

However, the fact remains that Yunyun was abandoned by its former owner. There was a good chance that it might have ended its life trapped in a closed cardboard box.

From the message written on the box, it's clear that its previous owner had feelings for the rabbit, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a crime to abandon a pet like this in Japan, as well as in many other parts of the world.

The post seems to have moved many people online and was widely shared, eliciting comments such as:

While it is true that unexpected circumstances may arise which may result in no longer being able to care for a pet, either temporarily or permanently, ideally, you should arrange a designated caretaker or, if you don't have anyone, consider care options before you commit to buying or adopting a pet.

Yuki hopes that people who decide to welcome baby bunnies or any other furbabies into their homes will do so with an understanding of the responsibilities involved.