Looking after your rabbit: a WAG's guide!

How do you care for rabbits and how do you cope in hot weather?*

Send your tips on a postcard to...the Welsh Assembly Government!

According to the Tories, those are just two areas into which Assembly ministers have launched consultations since the start of the year. It's alleged there have been 92 seperate consultations during that time and the Tories suggest the government is "in danger of becoming paralysed by consultation-itis." (Witty eh?)

The shadow minister for the environment in the Assembly, Angela Burns said:

"While some consultations are an important part of government decision making, it seems ministers cannot open an envelope without ordering one.

"Asking for so many reports and consultations is putting additional stress on staff and undermining the work of government," she added.

The AM for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire also thinks there might be political motivations for the WAG's obsession with consultations:

"Ministers are disguising their reluctance to act on key issues through the smokescreen of ordering more inquiries."

Mrs Burns conceded that: "The government is right to consult on major issues such as the future of local hospitals or issues like the Severn Barrage. We have always argued that the public must have a say on crucial issues such as these."

But she suggested "constantly asking others what to do is a clear sign of a government in crisis. It is clear ministers have run out of ideas and can’t make decisions for themselves."

Mrs Burns also questioned the WAG's reasoning behind holding a consultation into the welfare of rabbits.

According to the WAG website, the purpose of the 'rabbit' Code of Practice "is to provide advice on how to meet the needs of your rabbit. It applies to all persons who have responsibility for rabbits kept as a companion animal."

But Mrs Burns wasn't impressed: "We all support the highest possible standards of animal welfare, but in the middle of a recession many people will question why ministers are spending six weeks looking at the best way to look after pet rabbits."

If you own a rabbit you may want to read more about how to look after it here!

And for those of you getting concerned about coping in the hot weather this summer, have a look here! You'll find how the WAG plans to "reduce the risks to health associated with extreme heat."

Dewi Dau

*Perhaps a future consultation could look at how rabbits cope in hot weather.