Take action for rabbits and hares
Signing and sharing a petition is one of the simplest ways to support change. Below are current campaigns led by Hop to Save Rabbits and by organisations or individuals whose aims support rabbit and hare welfare.
Our petition
Hop to Save Rabbits leads the campaign below. Other petitions we support are listed separately so it is always clear who started each campaign.
No rabbit abattoirs – Protect All Rabbits from the Meat Trade
A Hop to Save Rabbits campaign
What it asks: Ask the South African Government to reject regulations that would enable commercial rabbit slaughter and prevent the development of a rabbit-meat industry.
Why sign: Commercial rabbit slaughter would create a new source of animal suffering and could encourage expansion of rabbit farming for meat. Signing adds public support for stopping that industry from becoming established.
Petitions we’re sharing
These petitions are led by welfare organisations and campaigners whose aims align with rabbit and hare protection. Choose an issue below to see what is being asked and why your signature matters.
Current UK petitions
License rabbit breeders in England
Started by: Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund
What it asks: Require rabbit breeders in England to be licensed and inspected, with proper welfare standards and accurate information about the sex of rabbits sold.
Why sign: Licensing could help improve breeding standards and reduce accidental litters, abandonment and pressure on rescues. More than 81,000 people have signed.
End Easter events using live rabbits and small animals
Started by: Lauren Proud
What it asks: Stop rabbits and other small animals being used in busy Easter events such as “Breakfast with Bunnies”.
Why sign: The petition raises concerns about rabbits being exposed to noisy, crowded environments and repeated handling. Signing supports Easter activities that do not use live animals as entertainment.
End competitive rabbit shows
Started by: Alec Bond
What it asks: Prohibit competitive rabbit shows and exhibitions, including events held at agricultural and county shows.
Why sign: The petition raises concerns about breeding for appearance, transport, confinement and handling at shows. Signing asks decision-makers to put rabbit welfare before competition and display.
Ask Pets at Home to stop selling live animals
Started by: Rescue Not Retail
What it asks: Ask Pets at Home to stop selling live animals and support rescue and adoption instead.
Why sign: The campaign asks a major pet retailer to move away from live-animal sales and towards rescue and rehoming.
Spain
End intensive rabbit-farming practices in Spain
Started by: AnimaNaturalis Internacional
What it asks: Challenge intensive rabbit farming in Spain, including cage-based systems and practices associated with poor welfare.
Why sign: Supporting the campaign adds public pressure for stronger protection of farmed rabbits and an end to the most intensive farming practices.
France
Ask Auchan to exclude the worst rabbit-farming practices
Started by: L214
What it asks: Ask Auchan to exclude rabbit farms using the worst intensive-farming practices from its supply chain.
Why sign: Although Auchan stopped sourcing from the farm originally exposed by L214, the wider campaign remains open. Signing supports stronger welfare requirements across its rabbit supply chain.
Mexico
Oppose cruelty in rabbit-meat farming and slaughter
Started by: Igualdad Animal México
What it asks: Oppose the suffering associated with rabbits being farmed and slaughtered for meat in Mexico and support alternatives to rabbit-meat production.
Why sign: Signing adds public support to calls for rabbits to be protected from intensive farming and slaughter and helps challenge the treatment of rabbits as meat animals.
United States
Ask Petland to stop selling rabbits
Started by: Paige Parsons, Rabbit.org Foundation
What it asks: Ask Petland to stop selling live rabbits and move away from sourcing rabbits for retail sale.
Why sign: The campaign raises concerns about rabbits being sourced from poor commercial breeding conditions. Signing supports a move away from retail rabbit sales and towards rescue and responsible rehoming.
Protect rabbits in South Carolina
Started by: Emily Green / Hoppy Hearts SC Rabbit Rescue
What it asks: Restrict rabbit sales through pet stores and flea markets in South Carolina, strengthen welfare standards and improve public awareness.
Why sign: Stronger rules could reduce unsuitable sales, neglect and abandonment while improving protection for rabbits before they reach new homes.
Protect rabbits from being killed for human consumption
Started by: Ginger Brown
What it asks: Give rabbits legal protection from being killed for human consumption and seek an end to rabbit farming and slaughter for meat.
Why sign: Signing supports the argument that rabbits kept and valued as companion animals should receive stronger protection from commercial farming and slaughter for food.
Signed it? Give it five more hops — Fiveshare©
A signature helps. Sharing helps it travel. After signing, share the petition five times — for example on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram or WhatsApp.
Each share can put the campaign in front of someone who would never otherwise see it. Five shares, five more chances to build support.
What happened next
Some petitions previously shared by HTSR have now closed or been overtaken by events. We keep a short record of what happened rather than presenting them as current actions.
| Petition | What happened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Protect hares and their young during the breeding season United Kingdom — England and Wales Started by: Chloe Dalton | Closed with 56,427 signatures. The Government initially said a close season remained under consideration. The December 2025 Animal Welfare Strategy subsequently committed to bringing forward a close season for hares. | Closed — Government commitment made; implementation pending |
| Make it an offence to carry a catapult in public without lawful defence United Kingdom Started by: Christopher Smith | Closed with 41,238 signatures. The Government said existing laws can already address misuse, but acknowledged the concerns and said it was actively considering the issue. | Closed — Government response received; issue under consideration |
| Prosecute and Shut Down Bunny Killing Fraud Peacebunny Cottage/Island United States — Minnesota Started by: Linda Sue / Voice for Rabbits | Criminal proceedings resulted in one misdemeanor animal-mistreatment conviction. The conviction was upheld on appeal in June 2026. The petition did not achieve every outcome it originally sought. | Outcome decided — conviction affirmed on appeal |
| Help Bunny Lu Continue Their Lifesaving Rabbit Rescue Mission United States — Virginia Started by: H C | Augusta County rejected the zoning appeal and later declined to change the rules to allow the rescue to remain at that location. Bunny Lu was given time to relocate and continues operating as a rabbit rescue. | Outcome changed — rescue continues |
Want to start something?
Thank you to everyone who starts, signs and shares campaigns to protect rabbits and hares.
Have a rabbit or hare welfare petition that we haven’t listed? Email us at info@hoptosaverabbits.org. If it is current and aligns with HTSR’s aims, we may be able to share it here.
Already signed one of the campaigns above? Don’t let it stop there — give it five more hops with Fiveshare©.
