Residents urged hop along and support bunny haven

Bedfordview resident Kelly Smit is making strides in the animal care industry.

The 21-year-old is the marketing director at Bunny Hop Haven.

The centre, based in Sandringham, is home to animals rescued from around Johannesburg.

“We have tortoises, bunnies, sheep, goats, guinea pigs, chickens, roosters, ducks and turkeys,” she said.

Kelly told the NEWS that she grew up around animals.

She said she had bunnies since the age of two.

When there are bunnies that need rescuing in the area, Kelly said she drives out to collect them.

“If they are still too small or sick I will take them home to care for them until they are strong enough to come to the haven. I love bottle feeding the bunnies. It’s one of my favourite things,” she said.

Kelly said due to the increase in the number of rescued animals the shelter has had, as well as the vet fees which are at an all-time high, the centre needs help from the community.

“The only money we get is from donations from the public, as well as the entrance fees that we charge visitors. That money goes towards food for the animals as well as vet fees and salaries for our staff members and maintenance of the enclosures. Unfortunately our generator was stolen last week, which has caused a lot of problems for us. It has been strenuous on our access of water supply,” said Kelly.

She said the shelter is not connected to the municipal system, hence there is no electricity, sewerage pipes or water supply.

“We have a small dam (froggy pond) as well as a river which we use to water our vegetable gardens and give to our animals. We used our generator to pump the water from the borehole to different parts of pond,” said Kelly.

She said the centre desperately needs donations of fresh veggies, rabbit pellets and chicken feed.

She said monetary donations where possible will go a long way with the shelter’s vet fees.

Kelly is studying towards a degree in Criminology at the University of Pretoria.

The Bunny Hop Haven is the brainchild of Ms Andrea Berzen.

Ms Berzen said the centre also aims to connect children with animals.

“We teach children how to care for their animals at home. We also host school children who are interested in interacting with bunnies and getting to know more about them,” she said.

The centre is open all weekends and public holidays.

For more details, the shelter can be contacted via both Kelly and Ms Berzen on 082 324 4146 and 082 307 7057. Alternatively, send an email to thebunnyhophavenmarketing@gmail.com