Rabbits: Companions or Meat?

For some, they're gentle companions,
but for others they're just meat.
Join us
as Animal Equality reveals
what—or who—is hidden
behind the closed doors of rabbit
slaughterhouses.
You are about to enter a farm
within Mexico's rabbit meat industry.
Our investigators documented
facilities in Queretaro
and Mexico City.
On these farms, dozens of rabbits
are crammed into wire cages,
roughly handled by workers,
and face death
while fully conscious.
Like other animals
within factory farming,
rabbits in Mexico lack legal protection
during the breeding process,
exposing them to harmful practices.
Despite existing regulations
for transport and slaughter,
these rules are frequently disregarded
within the country.
These animals are left to endure
a cruel fate.
Rabbits bred for consumption
are confined to small, cramped cages.
They're forced to stand
on hard wire floors.
These cages are so tight
that the animals can barely move.
They are forced to lie down
or sit in the same position
for most of their lives.
Beneath them,
waste collects. Urine and feces
pile up after being left
unattended for long periods.
The air is thick with the stench of ammonia,
and the filth seeps through the wire,
covering their fur and skin.
This constant exposure to waste
creates a breeding ground for infections
and diseases.
Living conditions in these cages differ
for male and female rabbits,
but all suffer.
Male rabbits live isolated in small cages
for around four years.
They are simply used for breeding
until they are sent to slaughter.
Female rabbits live only
as long as they are able to give birth
and produce ample milk.
If they don't meet industry standards,
they, too, are sent to slaughter.
After giving birth,
mother rabbits are forcefully separated
from their young, unable to feed them.
They bite the cage bars, trying to get
closer to the nest where their babies are.
The next day,
they are taken to the male rabbit
to be impregnated again,
starting a new cycle of cruelty.
During transportation,
rabbits are tightly grabbed
by the back of their neck.
Their delicate bodies dangle in the air,
causing distress and injury.
Workers throw new rabbits into the wire cages.
They crash against the metal bars,
lying helpless
as they are attacked by other stressed
and confused rabbits.
The workers stand by doing
nothing to stop the fighting.
When rabbits reach just 45 days old
and the required weight,
they are readied for slaughter.
Terrified, struggling for space and air,
they are flung into a shopping cart
to their final destination.
One by one,
each rabbit is lifted by their hind legs,
crying out in pain. For the first time,
we have documented
rabbits screaming in desperation.
Those awaiting slaughter
watch and listen as their companions
throats are slit.
These animals will never know
a compassionate life.
No matter where these investigations
take place, they reveal a common truth.
The violence against these innocent beings
robs them up their lives.
Animal Equality has documented
similar cruelty
endured by rabbits in Spain and in Italy.
This reality mirrors
how humans often discard animals
like cows, pigs
and chickens for their meat.
This is why our investigators
remain in the field,
exposing the cruel and abusive
treatment of animals worldwide.
We continue our fight for this rabbit,
the last one left in the cart,
standing in the blood of those who came
before.
Will you help us end this cruelty?
By choosing plant-based foods
and striving for a cruelty-free future,
we can help build a more compassionate
world.
Let's choose to go from this
to this.
Join our Love Veg movement today.