Luckily they are healthy rabbits, well fed, well socialized. They are clean, and the only major issue at this point is some overgrown nails that will be cut down tomorrow or the next day, once they're done with the trauma of being moved to a new place. There is only one litter, and none of the girls are pregnant.
These rabbits were lucky to be taken in by someone with rabbit knowledge, who can get them placed relatively quickly, and can handle taking care of this many at once(I've had more, though I am downsizing in anticipation of attending college for the winter semester). They're lucky that they weren't neglected because their owner was overwhelmed, and weren't set free out of spite.
Other rabbits aren't so lucky. Other animals aren't.
Breeders are afraid to ask for help anymore. If they ask for help, they are showing weakness, which sends the RARAs into a feeding frenzy, attacking and shaming the breeder. So the breeder, in a misguided attempt to keep themselves out of the line of fire, won't ask for help. They won't say "I have a problem" and get the assistance they need. They'll do their best, and try to keep them clean, and try to care for them, and sometimes it goes okay, but others? Other times this fails miserably, bringing more bad press to the hobby, and worse repercussions on themselves.
And the animals are the ones that suffer. They starve because the owner cannot afford to feed them. They sit in feces because the owner cannot clean them, either due to health or time issues. They are not socialized, because the owner cannot handle them all. They are set free, or dumped at a shelter, or die due to neglect.
Or the owner is reported, and it becomes a media frenzy, talking about how neglectful the owner is, how horrible, how awful, how evil. The owner is named and shamed, threatened, vilified... Just like they were afraid would happen if they asked for help. They bring shame to the hobby, and the breeders sit around talking about how if only they had asked for help, if only they made someone aware this was a problem, then the issue could have been avoided. Breeders will turn on each other if they figure it will make the hobby look slightly better.
Worst is when the owner is reported after asking for help. This is what makes it nearly impossible for breeders to ask for help, the fear of being reported because they admitted they had an issue. They know there is an issue, they're getting help, and still that isn't enough. Perhaps the person they asked to help them was a RARA in disguise. Perhaps the person helping told someone, who felt it was better to have the animals seized instead of actually helping the owner and keeping the animals in the home. Who knows exactly how it happens, just that it does happen, and it is a breeder's worst nightmare.
Their animals are seized, and sent to the shelter anyway, despite the breeder wanting to keep this from happening. The breeder is vilified, charged, banned from owning animals, because something happened in their life that rendered them unable to provide proper care for a short period of time. It doesn't matter that the breeder was getting help to bring their numbers down, or to get things cleaned up again, or to fix the issue. The breeder is evil because something happened to cause a problem.
The thing is, that problem could have happened to anyone. One dog, or 30 dogs, if you end up in the hospital, you are relying on someone else to take care of your animals. One rabbit, 50 rabbits, 300 rabbits, if the owner loses their job, those animals are still going to need to eat, and food doesn't come from thin air. A divorce, a death in the family, a house fire, a custody battle... There are probably a million different things that can be the starting point of a breeder going downhill, but the real issue comes when the breeder is afraid to ask for help to stop that downward slide.
And this is because of the RARAs. Those who claim to love animals the most(and in some cases to be the only ones who love animals at all), are the cause of suffering and pain to animals and humans alike. They have created this atmosphere of fear that prevents those in need of help from asking.
I think it is commendable when a person asks for help. It's hard to do, no matter what the reason, as it shows weakness and vulnerability. Too many people are too proud to ask for help, and suffer because of it. Regardless of the end result, it is nothing more than a shame when someone cannot swallow their pride long enough to ask for the help they need. But I can see why they are afraid to admit they need help, afraid to seek out those who could help them. It has ended so poorly for so many before them, why would it be any different when they asked for help?
Please, support your fellow breeders. If you see a problem, bring it up and offer to help. If you are asked to help, give the help without judgement, get your hands dirty and move that poo, or help them sell some rabbits, or take some extra rabbits into your home. We must support each other and provide a network of people that can be called upon to help feed, or clean, or transport. If the breeders band together and provide that safety net, maybe we can make it easier for someone to ask for help when they need it. Maybe we can change it and take control of the situation, and make breeders helping breeders the new norm.
I'd like to see that happen, and I encourage anyone who needs help to simply swallow their pride and ask for it.
I will always provide help to those who ask, in any way I can.
I want to be part of that solution.