The Ibis rabbit advert – accidentally highlighting a real rabbit issue

One of the happy participants in the filming!

Have you seen the Ibis advert with the bunnies yet? If not, click here and enjoy! I promise it will be one of the cutest things you will see all week! Even better, I think, is the behind the scenes video, showing just how many people these buns had at their beck and call (and how many carrots they got through!)

The one thing this really highlights is just how much personalities rabbits have and how much they enjoy each others company. Watching them exploring all the rooms nooks and crannies (and the film crews equipment!) together is a delight (I just hope they kept all their wires well out of the way!) and, for me anyway, the best bit about the advert. I also love the end where they are all piled up together for a snooze – adorable!

The thing is, this is in sharp contrast to how many rabbits live their lives; not in 5 star accomodation with plenty of company and attention but in a tiny cage at the bottom of the garden, abandoned and alone. Sadly they are often seen as the classic cheap children’s pet, when really, given their flighty nature, (honed through thousands of years of being a much hunted prey animal), they are not always the best pet for young, grabbing hands, which can easily lead to a loss of interest and no attention from anyone at all.

Bunnies do make great pets who provide endless entertainment, as this advert proves, but they need a spacious, interesting environment with company of their own kind and humans for them to thrive. Admittedly, this doesn’t need to include a king sized bed and a huge crowd of friends but it does mean at least one other rabbit to live with, a large cage, access to an outside space and toys and quality food, just like cats and dogs really.

Wouldn’t it be great if Ibis used the profile their advert is gaining to highlight this important issue around rabbit welfare and maybe used some of their profits to support a rescue organisation or two?! Ibis?

Tweet Ibis at #ibisbunnies & lets see if we can persuade them to support rabbit rescue!