(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- This week's Difference Maker has been giving beautiful creatures a jump on survival for decades.
The House Rabbit Society of Chicago has rescued more than 1,700 rabbits over the last 35 years -- rabbits that are much different than the ones hopping around Chicago yards.
“We try to take in the most at-risk bunnies,” says the organization’s director, Rachel Sanders. “Other rescues either don’t have the resources or the ability to care for the special-needs bunnies like this.”
Among the animals in the group’s care is a bunny that was attacked by the family dog before having a hind leg amputated; an abandoned bunny that was carried off and dropped by a hawk, causing injuries; and bunnies rescued from a hoarding situation.
The House Rabbit Society of Chicago is 100 percent volunteer-based and has no office or shelter. It relies on foster "parents" like Mia Barker, who introduced WBBM Newsradio to four bunnies under her care.
“Each one has such a different personality, and I love getting to know them,” Barker said.
The types of domestic bunnies rescued by the House Rabbit Society of Chicago would not survive in the wild and cannot be released outdoors, Sanders notes.
“They don’t have survival skills. It’s a death sentence to let them loose outside.”
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