Have you ever seen a bunny and thought how badly you wished you could just take it home with you? Well, thanks to possibly the most adorable cafe in North America, you can do exactly that.
Located right here in Vancouver, the long-awaited Bunny Cafe is finally open and raring to take reservations. Visitors can have a meet and treat two-dozen adoptable rabbits and browse an array of bunny merchandise from the same people who brought you Catfe, Western Canada’s first cat cafe.
The Bunny Cafe was expected to open a year ago, but challenges with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sent the project down a rabbit hole. The venue will be hosting the rabbits and a retail store for now, with the cafe side of the operation opening later this year.
How your visit will go
First, you need to make a reservation for your 55-minute-long visit. Guests must be five years old or older, and face masks, hand-washing and social distancing is required.
Once you’ve done that, a Bunny Whisperer will go over how to safety handle the rabbits to ensure a colony of happy, stress-free buns. This does mean you will not able to pick up the bunnies and, if a bunny decides to tuck themselves away in their private “bunny benches,” you’ve got to give them their space.
On the other hand, this does make room for the more eager buns to come to you. Why would they pay you a visit aside from pure curiosity? Each visitor to the cafe will be given a cup of treats like kale, cilantro, apples and other greens to feed them!
An initial ‘thumping success’
Michelle Furbacher is the owner of Catfe and Bunny Cafe and first became aware of Rabbitats’ innovative Meet and Treat events that the organization staged as “bunny therapy” for students. Furbacher invited the rescue organization to stage a hop-up event at Catfe in December of 2018. It was a thumping success, and Furbacher teamed with Rabbitats’ founder Sorelle Saidman to develop a stand-alone venue.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect because I thought the rabbits would all be so shy and nervous, but was surprised to discover how interactive they were with people,” said Furbacher. “It’s so fun getting to know the buns and all their different personalities, and nothing’s more delightful than seeing a bunny ‘binky' for the first time.”
An excellent pet
Sorelle Saidman is hoping The Bunny Cafe will demonstrate that rabbits can make excellent pets, and help get them adopted into good homes. She also hopes that people will be inspired to host colonies of rabbits in other situations.
“There are so many abandoned domestic rabbits in BC, they need to be adopted out in colonies to really make a difference. People can see what a joy it is to be surrounded by sweet, curious bunnies.”
For more information visit the Bunny Cafe’s website or check out their storefront located on Commercial Drive area at 1696 Venables St., near the southwest corner of Commercial and Venables.
