Advertisement
Published: November 16th 2011
Edit Blog Post
046
so cute.. I have always wanted to be a parent, ever since I can remember. When I was little I actually thought I would become one quite early on in my 20’s – yet as always, life never seems to pan out the way you think it will. To be honest I am kind of glad I don’t have kids yet – I’m really enjoying my free ME time!
Yet today is the day I am responsible for two little ones. Yes that’s right – I have taken on the responsibility of parenting. I am in Peru, on my ultimate adventure, travelling the world and I somehow find myself making the commitment to nurture, care, feed and above all else love two small souls. And no I have not adopted two of the street children out here in Huancayo – although I think I could find myself doing that quite easily...
I am now the proud co-parent of two...wait for it...wait for it...baby bunny rabbits! Ok so it’s not exactly like being a parent to a child but these two little bunnies still take up a lot of my time and require a lot of attention just like a kid!
So
012
Picchu chillin the next question your asking is when did you get them and why?!?!?!
Well Ann and I were shopping through some local street markets – minding our own business, looking for cheap avocadoes and pineapples when low and behold there in front of us squished together in small metal cages were a number of small bunnies and guinepigs. Of course being the animal lovers that we are, we had to go over and say hello. We got talking to some of the locals who informed us that the animals were there to be eaten and it was obvious a number of them were eyeing a few out for dinner! I found myself asking how much the animals were and then suddenly buying two of the smaller bunnies. I think our rather impromptu decision was fuelled by the unfairness of these animals’s reality. They were living creatures that had feelings and had a right to their life just like any other living being. There was no way I was going to let the smallest and youngest of the pack suffer the injustices the older animals had/would.
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not a vegetarian (well I was
027 (2)
Just popping up to pose for a pic...lol for 10 years – but I’m not now) and I have no problem with eating an animal – but I do have a problem with animals being miss treated before its their time. These rabbits and guineapigs were kept in tiny cages, cramped together with no room to move, no water, no food...and I assume they will live in these sorts of conditions for the entirety of their pathetic lives before they are placed in someone’s cooking pot. I felt an unburdened obligation to help and take a stand against such cruelty – it is rather a small stand but every little bit helps right?!?
Side note: Actually on the note of animal cruelty you should see the way the Peruvians care for their dogs and cats – it’s despicable. There are so many unloved, skinny, anxious, hairy, flea-ridden and decrepit canines roaming the streets. It makes me feel physically sick to see the animals in such terrible conditions. I can’t believe I am saying this but I think it would be kinder in a lot of the cases to have them put down. You see people kicking and hitting the animals, dragging them along roads and rocky paths
051
A puppy I found roaming the streets - "can we keep him - pweeaasse!!!" - its honesty inhuman. I have to turn a blind eye towards most of the cruelty otherwise I would end up with approx 1000 dogs and two bunny rabbits. I did however find the cutest (malnourished) Labrador puppy wandering the streets and couldn’t help myself – I spent about an hour feeding and playing with it!
Ok back to the rabbits; It was actually quite amusing (buying the rabbit’s that is) because we found ourselves suddenly surrounded by all the locals in the entire market. They were fascinated to find two foreigners (were called gringo’s out here and it’s not a derogatory term) buying small animals for caring purposes rather than consuming intentions. It was definitely an interesting experience to say the least.
We named the bunnies ‘Machu and Pichu’ and keep them on the roof top terrace of our apartment. It’s fantastic up there because they can run around during the day and we put them to bed in a man-made hutch at night! They are extremely tame and love cuddles! I do yoga in the mornings with Klauss on the roof and they make some of the exercises a little more challenging when under foot –
005
Denna and Nellie with the bunnies... but it’s all in good fun. I will be leaving in a few weeks and will have to leave my beloved bunny behind however Ann will be staying on in Huancayo for a few more months. She is happy to care for the bunnies and after that we are hoping our land lady (Nellie) will keep them as pets! If they do end up in a cooking pot – well at least they will have had a few good months!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.058s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 5; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0345s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb