Samhita Nangunoori (9) entered Waffle the rabbit’s pen with a broom and blanket in her hands. Waffle rested her front paws on Nangunoori as Nangunoori swept the scattered hay in the pen. Once the old hay was cleared, Nangunoori sat down to replace the blanket in Waffle’s hidey-house, while also refilling Waffle’s water and hay. Engrossed in her work, she didn’t notice Waffle hopping towards her and into her lap. Smiling, she momentarily abandoned her duties to pet Waffle before gently setting her back on the ground and resuming her work.
Waffle’s pen is one of many that Nangunoori has cleaned in her year and a half volunteering at the San Diego House Rabbit Society (SDHRS), a non-profit, no-kill rabbit shelter. Her work there primarily consists of cleaning pens, packing hay, feeding the rabbits, and generally caring for them. According to SDHRS team leader Nikita Patel, as one of the only solely rabbit-focused shelters in San Diego, the shelter seeks to provide specialized care to rabbits.
“The main purpose of the shelter is to provide a safe, temporary home for rabbits in need, while also working to find them permanent loving homes,” she said. “We’re dedicated to the care, rescue, and adoption of domestic bunnies. We’re committed to every rabbit we take in, so when we do take in a rabbit, we are committed to them for their lifetime. If they need to return, we always take them back.”
Nangunoori said that she was drawn to the shelter because she believes in its mission — she has always loved animals.
“I found them because I wanted a volunteer opportunity and to spend more time with bunnies,” she said. “Rabbits are so gentle, they’re really sweet creatures, and they’re also really cute and fluffy. Beyond that, the shelter has made me feel so much empathy for animals in general. It would make my whole day to see all of these bunnies. [Volunteering there helped me see how] animals are very intelligent in their own ways, and they’re very alike to humans. Seeing how people work so hard and how much they want to help these bunnies was also really inspiring.”
Nangunoori said that volunteering at the shelter gave her special opportunities to bond with animals.
“At the shelter, you don’t only see ‘normal’ rabbits,” she said. “There’s a lot of bunnies there that have medical needs, and bunnies that might need more care. There was a bunny, Darla, with cataracts and an eye ulcer, so she was going blind. [She needed] extra care because she was really struggling to find her food and stuff. You would have to put the food up to her nose so that she could sniff it and understand what she’s experiencing. It’s very sad to [know that] you can’t see for her; you can only do your best to help her with what she needs.”
Despite the occasional difficult moments, Nangunoori said that volunteering at the shelter has brought her joy and given her a greater understanding of animals.
“It’s good for me to be more empathetic to animals,” she said. “Volunteering at a bunny shelter is a great experience, and it makes me happy. Going to the shelter calms me a lot. The rabbits are really cute, and even if it isn’t long, spending time with bunnies is good for you. Caring for an animal can change you as a person, and people can do that in animal shelters like SDHRS.”
Nangunoori said she looks forward to volunteering more at the shelter in the future.
“I love volunteering at SDHRS,” she said. “It’s awesome, and I’m glad to have been a part of the shelter. I’m very grateful, and I can’t wait to experience more with the shelter and help more bunnies.”
