IT SEEMS hard to believe but this delightful pair – Brizzle and Brunel – were branded “not cute enough” by people looking to adopt rabbits, according to a Somerset animal sanctuary.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary, near Chard, posted footage of the roaming rabbits in a bid to highlight a worrying trend among those seeking a long-eared pet.

“Brizzle and Brunel were sadly dumped at a city farm, and even since coming into our care, they were recently overlooked for adoption – apparently not considered “cute enough”,” the sanctuary said.

“The cute option required was, “We really want a small one with a cute little squished up face”.

“(It’s) so upsetting that people find brachycephalic animals cute. This has seeped out from dog breeds into rabbits too.

“The cute aesthetic leaves animals with so many issues, being able to breathe and eat properly are fairly critical one would think.

“Brizzle and Brunel are very sociable, healthy, active rabbits, literally everything we should want.”

The issue was highlighted alongside a video of the pair “enjoying a little something special”.

“We don’t usually feed cereal-based food, but we had some kindly donated and mixed it in with their nuggets for a treat,” the sanctuary added.

For more details on Ferne Animal Sanctuary, log on to ferneanimalsanctuary.org.

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