Bunnies inspire compassion in Iraq

Dubai: It's furry business in Iraq. And we are not talking about the US combat troops' withdrawal. In a land besieged by violence and weariness, SPCA International has released some news about rabbits making a difference.

Terri Crisp, the programme development manager for the non-governmental body, was in Iraq writing her forthcoming book, Operation Baghdad Pups, about the bond between animals and combat warriors.

During her stay, she noticed some strange activity in the front yard of a local police station in Erbil. They were bunny rabbits — about a dozen of them!

In the release, Crisp said: "Curiosity got the best of me, so one warm evening I walked to the produce stand and bought a bag of carrots. I strolled over to the police station with a local friend who could translate for me. My most pressing question was, ‘Are these pet rabbits or are they being raised for food?'

"I was quite relieved to learn, early in our conversation with three of the police officers, that all 12 rabbits were pets. They had been living there for three months and the entire police station had grown quite attached [to them]."

Apparently, when a street cat attempted to grab one of the furry residents as meal, the officers promptly installed a fence.

She said: "I learned that each of the rabbits had a name and there were stories to relay about each one ... these men took great pride in the rabbits and I was thrilled to see this kind of compassion."