EDITORIAL: Stick with the chocolate gifts this Easter

March 31--Each year, along with an Easter basket filled with chocolate eggs and marshmallow Peeps, thousands of chicks, ducklings and bunnies are given as gifts. But the Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare agencies -- as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- urge people to refrain from acquiring live chicks and rabbits as Easter gifts this holiday season.

Yes, small poultry that quack and chirp are soft and cute, and fuzzy bunnies are irresistible, but the young animals mature quickly into adults, and they will need daily care for the remainder of their lives.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, baby poultry can carry salmonella germs in their droppings and on their bodies, even when they appear healthy and clean. Children can be exposed to bacterium by holding, cuddling or kissing the birds -- and young children are particularly at risk, because they are more likely to put their fingers into their mouths after handling the chick.

Beyond the health risks, it's simply unfair to the young animals.

The Humane Society reports shelters throughout the country experience a sudden influx of bunnies in the weeks and months after Easter: Rabbits are often dumped at shelters by families who bought them around the holiday, but either lost interest or realized they were not prepared -- or willing -- to keep the pets long-term. Many pet rabbits die within six months as a result of poor diet and unhealthy conditions. Others suffer injuries from being handled incorrectly or are released into the wild to fend for themselves, which they are ill-equipped to do.

Wanting to share the joy of pet ownership with a child is a wonderful thing, but no live animal should be considered a "starter pet" -- and every live animal deserves proper care and nutrition.

So, this Easter season, no matter how cute these baby animals are, resist the urge to bring a real Easter bunny, baby chick or duck into your home. Stick to chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps. Mother Nature will thank you.

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