This sweet, adorable little lionhead rabbit is my Punkin. She is the dearest animal friend I have ever had in this life. Every day we play, cuddle, and I tell her how much I love her.
And then I go in the kitchen and bake chicken thighs for dinner.
As a rabbit owner, I make friends with a lot of other rabbit owners. Lately, my Facebook newsfeed has been flooded with memes like this:
Whole Foods is now selling rabbit meat in at least some of their stores, and my bunny-loving friends are calling for a boycott of the chain. This meme and the many others like it (I've seen some real doozies) are meant to paint Whole Foods as a monster who wants to eat your family. And awww... that bunny is really cute!
Here's the thing. Whole Foods is not selling our pets as meat. The chain's employees are not, in fact, breaking into our homes in the dead of night, bun-napping our animal companions such as my Punkin, and selling them as food.
Whole Foods is getting rabbit meat from the same place they get their beef, chicken, and pork: some local farms, and unfortunately, some factory farms. Rabbit meat is typically from a very large breed called New Zealanders (which yes, are also kept as pets). The minimal amount of fat on a common house-bunny such as a lionhead or lop is not enough to even be worth the time it would take to pick a lock for the previously mentioned imaginary break-in.
As I know rabbits as pets, I would personally choose not to consume them as food. Just like I have a dog, so I wouldn't eat dog either. But I can still respect that other people, especially in other parts of the world, do.
My husband spent several years of his childhood living in Indonesia. The Indonesians eat a lot of dog and cat. Big, white dogs (much like the large Labrador we own) are considered a real treat. In Indonesia, when you go to someone's house, you eat what they serve you. It's rude otherwise. My husband and his family ate dog, probably on a number of occasions.
I'm grateful that I have the option of saying no. I'm grateful to have my pick of many small, wonderful, family-owned farms who offer a variety of chicken, beef, and pork. I'm spoiled when it comes to food, but I think my health is worth it.
Which brings me to my next point. Doubly frustrating in this whole rabbit debate is the I know for a fact that at least most of my rabbit-loving friends ARE meat-eaters. Don't get me wrong, I think vegetarianism and especially veganism are actively unhealthy. That's not really what this post is about. Start with this article if you want to know why animal product-free diets are not healthy. What irritates me is my friends claiming, "Rabbits are highly intelligent! Rabbits like to play!" These things are true. But pigs are smart too. Cows are friendly. At a local buffalo ranch, the farmer bottle-fed a particular orphaned buffalo, and now she thinks the farmer is her mama. She follows him around everywhere.
To me, the issue is not eating animals but eating the right kind of animals - animals that are grass-fed or pastured, that are well taken care of and happy. I follow several other real food bloggers who are homesteaders that raise their own rabbit meat. And again, while I couldn't personally do it, I respect that they nourish their family with properly raised meat. Heck, I'm thrilled that the bunnies are clearly loved while they are alive and respected when they are butchered.
If someone does choose to eat rabbit, I hope they choose free-range rabbit from small farms. Just like I hope that those who eat chicken, beef, and pork, choose grass-fed and pastured meat, from local family farms whenever possible. If you don't want to eat rabbit meat, don't. I won't be. If you don't want to eat any meat at all, don't. I don't think that's healthy, but I believe everyone has the right to choose for themselves.
It's okay to eat meat and love Fluffy.