Daily Camera: Thank you for using "he" once in reference to the dog in this story. May I suggest you use "he" and "him" throughout such stories, rather than "it." This sounds awful: "McMorris kicked Tater five to 10 times and stomped on *its* head two or three times."

The Colorado House Rabbit Society provides rabbits with tile-floored pens and large metal/steel dog crates and confirms rabbits need a constant source of hay for their health and well-being. These animals are living in wire cages without hay and are clearly not having their basic needs met. Even one of the Daily Camera editors remarked offline that this "rabbitry" reminded him of a factory farm.

I guarantee it is misinformed - propaganda, in fact - and utterly ridiculous to say that Dana Gettel's $24-per-carcass pieces of property living in small wire cages in a tractor trailer are "living a quite similar life" as my rabbit. It might make you and others feel better to imagine that as you give thanks to devour an animal whose sole desire was to live, but that's just ridiculous, and your thanks mean nothing to the animal.

The House Rabbit Society estimates it costs at least $30 - $35 per month, on average, to care for one rabbit, yet Springtree Farms Rabbitry only receives $23 for each three-month old slaughtered rabbit "produced." Would it really be economical for Dana Gettel to invest in the proper care of each animal to live well and enjoy his or her life? No, she'd lose a ton of money. Sadly, it's just not possible to treat animals really well AND make a profit.

It is so sad each of these rabbits must suffer and die for a mere $24, for one or two meals. If you were truly interested in less killing and "slow food," why not choose raising a larger animal such as a cow or a pig who could feed far more people than one little 3.5-lb. baby rabbit?

Agreed: Eating local is tasty, healthy and a conscious/conscientious decision; that's why I pack my 10'x10' garden plot and store food year-round. Eating "slow food" or locally does *not* necessitate killing rabbits -- or dogs, or chickens or cats, for that matter. Why assume that I'm emaciated or that I eat soy? You're wrong on both counts, "wildflowerseed."

My rabbit Clover performs wild acrobatics and zooms around in joy, snuggles in fleece blankets, makes happy noises, plays with her toys, runs to her litterbox, forages outside, nests with recycled material, receives regular veterinary care and enjoys a varied and locally grown, organic diet and hay ... all things these farmed rabbits are likely deprived of while growing and breeding in little cages in a tractor trailer until being hacked to pieces at three months to become a food trend promoted by our local newspaper. Support local cruelty, indeed.

While that may be true, it is still possible to be a vegetarian and eat mostly local. Further, a true animal lover does not eat them. Could you wring a bunny's neck?

What a fluffy, feel-good piece about butchering and eating our country’s third-most popular companion animal.

While I realize that the Food section might not be the ideal place for opinions or investigative reporting, this article utterly neglects the ethics of this controversial practice and rather makes it all sound quite pleasant.

A bunny butcher profiteer is quoted as saying, "I'm excited that someone is doing it (locally) and in a clean, humane way."

Oh really? How about the Camera do a little investigative work and photography and inform its readers about the way these rabbits live and die, and we can decide for ourselves whether it is clean or humane.

The Camera reports that Gettel keeps the rabbits "in good-sized cages" -- how big are these cages? Many people such as pet-stores might say that a 2' x 1' cage is a good-sized cage for a rabbit, but compassionate and informed people know otherwise. “Good-sized cages” is extremely poor reporting. It's difficult to discern the size of the cages in the photo, but rabbits suffer on wire flooring, and life in a cage in a tractor trailer seems grim at best. Clean and humane? Hm.

Some other relevant questions the Camera failed to touch upon:
How does the USDA-certified processor kill the rabbits? Neck breaking? How many rabbits live in this tractor trailer at a time? And even though she raised rabbits, why didn't Gettel eat them for a long time? Was it because she realized they were sentient; that she was attached to them; connected to them; loved them ... until the almighty dollar allowed her to turn away?

A lifelong vegetarian and rabbit guardian, I'm saddened at the myriad ways humans torture and kill rabbits: They are cut, poisoned and tortured in the name of science; gunned down in the name of sport; skinned alive in the name of fashion; abused and neglected as pets; and now butchered here for humans to eat their flesh. While I don’t think that killing and eating a rabbit is any worse or better than killing a cow, pig, chicken, dog, or cat, it’s disturbing to see yet another sentient being promoted as just a meal.

Well, good thing that coyote bites are few and far between. The CDOW is not known to be very compassionate toward wildlife.

I agree, that does sound horrible, as well as gruesome, cruel and unethical.

I was referring to killing coyotes on Boulder open space and parks because that's where the article refers to them.

So what? That could be true about any species. I was just bitten by a rabbit today. Oh my. What shall we do about the rabbits?

One toddler was killed in California in the 80s in our country's ONLY known fatal coyote attack EVER. It’s a nonissue.

For some perspective, let’s contrast that with dog bites. Valerie Mitchell presents the statistics in an earlier post:
“The most recent official survey, conducted more than a decade ago, determined there were 4.7 million dog bite victims annually in the United States. A more recent study showed that 1,000 Americans per day are treated in emergency rooms as a result of dog bites. In 2010 there were 34 *fatal* dog attacks in the this country. … If you're so concerned about the safety of your (our) children you should start a campaign to eliminate dogs.”

Obviously we’re not in favor of starting a campaign against dogs or any other animal, except perhaps for the biggest problem animal: the gun toting human. Spouting about coyotes attacking people serves only to instigate myths and fearmongering toward a species already victimized by the likes of the gun-happy coyote haters.

NP