| Easter
Bunny or Chocolate Rabbit?
by Anne
Seah
| Do you know… |
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rabbits are indoor pets? |
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rabbits' diets are very
delicate? |
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rabbits need grooming and
daily exercise to prevent hairballs? |
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your house needs to be bunny-proofed
from the curious wire-biting rabbits? |
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rabbits can be toilet-trained? |
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rabbits' sizes range from
the size of a small Chihuahua to a grown Beagle? |
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spaying/neutering rabbits
improve behaviour and chances of bonding? |
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| It is
actually the Easter HARE and not Easter Rabbit/Bunny?
The rabbit, or rather,
hare, symbolises fertility and spring during Easter?
The hare is born with its eyes open. The Egyptians
call the hare Un, which means, open,
to open, and the opener. Un
also means period. Thus, the hare symbolises
the opening of the new year period of Easter with
its fertility and new beginnings.
The hare/rabbit is associated
with the moon?
There is a myth of the rabbit offering himself
as food to the starving Buddha by jumping into
the fire. Out of gratitude, the Buddha placed
the rabbit in the moon so that it will be immortal.
Thereafter, Far East paintings and stories, especially
the Chinese, depict the rabbit pounding rice in
the moon.
The hare/rabbit is also
linked to the moon because of its 1 month gestation
period, akin to the moon's waxing and waning.
It is also believed that the rabbit can change
sex like the moon. Other stories in Sanskrit and
Hindu tell of hares dwelling upon the shores of
the moon and being the mortal enemy of the lion,
which stands for the sun. |
Come this 31st March 2002, kids in primary schools
and kindergartens will once again be painting eggs and
learning about the Easter tradition. Part of which will
surely fascinate our little tykes will be the Easter
Bunny. The rabbits in schools will suddenly receive
more excited attention and thrilled adoration. These
rabbits are so sweet to look at and so soft to touch,
wouldn't it be wonderful to have one or two at home?
And which parent would be able to resist the exuberant
enthusiasm of their child?
So, every Easter, there are cosy family outings to
pet shops where Daddy and Mummy shop for a cute Easter
Bunny as a playmate for their child, preferably a baby
bunny, which can grow up together with their kid.
However, before taking that tiny round-faced, bright-eyed
Easter Bunny home, let us consider some very important
facts.
Baby Easter Bunny is a fragile thing. It is tiny, its
bones are incredibly soft, it feels safe on the ground,
and it is extremely frightened of being grabbed and
shrilled at. Children, being naturally affectionate,
will certainly and understandably want to cuddle their
new Baby Easter Bunnies just as they hold and cuddle
their soft toys. Baby Easter Bunny will almost surely
fight back in fear. In the worse scenario, this struggle
ends with Baby Easter Bunny injured and the child angry
and crying. In the best possible situation, the continual
struggles add to Baby Easter Bunny's fear of people.
And since children also tend to be active and noisy,
Baby Easter Bunny will soon learn to cower in a corner
when the child is around. In no time, the child will
lose patience and become disgusted with this newly purchased
unaffectionate and non-compliant soft toy.
But even if the child is no longer interested in Baby
Easter Bunny, Baby Easter Bunny would still be around
for a long time more after Easter. In fact, Baby Easter
bunny is going to live up to 10 years, speaking on the
average. A good perspective to this would be to add
10 years to your child's age - that's how long more
Baby Easter Bunny would be hopping around the house!
Let's face it, sure, kids are enthusiastic, but their
enthusiasm are most often than not, short-lived.
And during these 10 years, Baby Easter Bunny would
grow up real fast. In just 6 months, Baby Easter Bunny
would be lots bigger than when Daddy and Mummy brought
him back from the pet shop for Easter. His face might
no longer be so round and lovable either. In fact, it
might get distinctly long, just like human faces lose
their baby fats and become leaner growing up. In other
words, after 6 months of the long 10-year period, cute
little Baby Easter Bunny might become bothersome ugly
Easter Gift in the family's eyes.
What happens to Easter Bunny then? No longer cute,
no longer interesting, Easter Bunny becomes an irritant
given up for adoption, adding to the number of unwanted
rabbits in Singapore.
This Easter, let us rethink the Easter Bunny hype.
Hold off getting a bunny till after Easter, and see
whether your child still feels the same way about getting
his bunny pet without the festive temptation. An abundance
of chocolate rabbits usually distract and satisfy children
quite well.
In the meantime, find out more about these lagomorphs
before deciding. And maybe you would want to check out
the SPCA in your search for a wonderful, amusing, funny
bunny.
References:
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