Sugar Bunny of Spokane, Washington once enjoyed a contented life as the pet rabbit in Lori Peters's preschool class at the Community Building Children's Center. Then some animal rights activists apparently had issues with Sugar Bunny's lifestyle--so they stole him. They left, in the cage, fliers that railed against the Ringling Brothers Circus (although not explicitly its magicians), which had recently visited Spokane. The fliers contain mentions of PETA, but the group's spokeswoman, Daphna Nachminovitch, said her organization does not endorse bunny-nabbing, nor does it provide support or succor to bunny thieves. Still, that's little consolation to five-year-old Zion, who deeply misses Sugar Bunny: "Somebody stoled him. I'm sad." Peters encouraged her students to write songs ("We had a little rabbit. His name was Sugar Bunny. Sometimes we took him out and he ran around and sometimes he rested outside....") and draw pictures to remember their beloved friend, but she remains unsure whether they will be able to replace the rabbit. A teachable moment, to be sure.
"Pet rabbit stolen from Spokane preschool, anti-circus fliers left in cage," Associated Press, September 25, 2007
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