BY FACEBOY | On September 5, 1997, a protest group marched down Christopher St. angered by what some had called the “Disney-fication” of the Hudson piers. Though the battle continues in varying forms, few can deny the beauty of what is now the Hudson River Park. It was on the lush lawn of Pier 45 that NYCritters spotted Gabby, along with bunny buddy Demaco.
Though their Daddy didn’t want his name used for fear of getting in trouble for having bunnies off leash, he did grant us an interview. Gabby is a 2-year-old female and Demaco is a male, 5 months old.
Unfortunately, our photos of Demaco were too fuzzy for print. His fur has touches of pink hair dye, so that Daddy can tell them apart. Most posters on BunSpace.com don’t think fur dying is a good idea. But Cheech (presumably not the actor/comedian) posted, “Many years ago, I did die a blue Mohawk on my bunny’s head. He was FINE, no harm came to him and he lived a very healthy 8 years more. However, he had the blue Mohawk forever.”
Seeking a source more reliable than Cheech from the Internet, we reached out to the Rabbit Welfare Association. Speaking on their behalf, Clair Speight (nee King) said that rabbits have delicate skin and digestive systems, thus fur dying is “very strongly discouraged.” We hope that daddy reads this article since he clearly loves his bunnies.
Daddy brings them out about once a month, and describes them as, “very friendly.”
“They’re very easy,” he added. “They’re nice pets to maintain — and, you know, cuddly, furry animals, and they’re gentle.”
Though friendly, they need to get familiar with someone before being completely comfortable.
“If they don’t know you, they act kind of funny around certain people,” he noted.
When asked if they have any human or animal friends in the park, their Daddy said, “Human. You know, a lot of people seem to be interested in them and they want to get to know them and they just like taking pictures with them.”
We’d like to call bunny selfies “belfies” but that word has already been entered into the Urban Dictionary as meaning “butt selfie.”
After carefully examining the park rules on leashes, including a mention that unleashed animals may be seized and impounded, NYCritters reached out to the Hudson River Park Trust for clarification. Representative Victoria Shannon responded, “The folks at Hudson River Park cannot recall an instance where an animal has ever been ‘impounded,’ so they honestly cannot speak to whether it would be immediate or subject to a waiting period.”
Pier 45 has long been a gathering place for the L.G.B.T. community since at least as far as the Stonewall riots. Back in 1969, many of the protesters gathered on the pier for mutual support during those troubling times. The most recent flap involves the new Roland Emmerich film “Stonewall,” which is accused of lacking a fair representation of the minorities and drag queens who were prominently on the front lines of the actual movement.
We hope that Gabby and Demaco have been spayed and neutered since we all know what bunnies like to do. Though it would be great on cuteoverload.com, a big brood of bouncing baby bunnies could be burdensome to park officials on the pier.
