Slowly but surely they're learning.

Our local pet shop finally seems to be getting things right!

When I first arrived there were 2 wire-bottomed indoor-style cages, I'd estimate about a metre long. Each containing up to a dozen bunnies (I counted 12 and 3 guinea pigs once). no water, limited food, hay wasn't even stocked in the shop. As you can imagine my jaw was on the floor. Each time I went back there I kept taking out the water bottles, standing there while they refilled them (as I'd tried just asking and they'd do the usual "yes maam" and ignore me totally). I got quite pushy with them there but these bunnies are out in equatorial heat, with no room to flop and no fluids. It's not on.

After I got my Brunei buns I was obviously back there quite a lot for food, then the cats arrived and I was going even more frequently so I got to know the woman who works there quite well (it's a running joke now that I go in there and buy enough cat litter and biscuits to last through and apocalypse ) and started talking to her about the rabbits.

Sometimes they have some in which she tells me are '4 weeks old'. Well I'd be surprised if they're even 2 weeks they are so tiny. But I have tried my hardest to teach this lady that they're not just stock, they're living creatures. They have since started stocking hay, they know how to sex bunnies (albeit not always successfully but even vets get it wrong!) so they can separate out the genders. The wire flooring sadly stays but I have encouraged the woman to trim their claws and they always have nice fresh water now - not a trace of green. And they only ever seem to have a maximum of 3 little buns in at a time

It's still a VERY long way from the sort of standards you'd expect in the UK but considering this is a country that sees nothing wrong with keeping cats in cages I am really impressed that they haven't just stubbornly shut off and ignored me. It still breaks my heart to see gorgeous bunnies kept in conditions I would never stand for myself but Mr B has stopped telling me to "not look" at the bunnies and I no longer come home and have a secret cry any more.

One small step for Budda, one giant leap for Brunei bunny-kind (hopefully!)

That's amazing Helen Us humans are very good at disavowing our actions when we know deep down the truth of what's happening. People who work in intensive animal farming, and in countries where there are no/little standards of animal welfare must have to be in a constant state of disavowel to be able to do what they do.
I don't think any human would truly say that they are comfortable with some of those practices, but they are told to do it, so the responsibility is on the boss, not the worker, rather like the executioner, he doesn't do the killing, that's ordered by the courts... of course he does the killing, but he has to be able to sleep at night, so the responsibility cannot be his.

I would imagine it has been a great relief to the people in that shop that you have given them a reason to go against convention and local practices and start to treat the animals in a respectful way that meets theire needs. You've forced them to confront their sense of truth, way to go

It's funny, it's never malicious. Even my vet keeps his cat in a cage in the shop. It's just that 'they don't know any better'. I know that sounds incredibly patronising but it's true. This cat is well fed, watered, clearly loved and is let out of the cage in the evenings but can you IMAGINE if he was kept like that in the UK? This guy is the most caring vet I have ever met. He doesn't know an awful lot (especially bunnies, don't get me started ) and he is working with very limited supplies but he cares. Which is the reason I chose him. He just doesn't know any better when it comes to cages.

The pet shop people really do just see the animals as stock. They have hamsters and mice in those dayglo plastic cage things in the heat and every now and again you'll spot one who isn't just sleeping, tell them and they'll just leave the body in there and deal with it later. But I think with the bunnies being a bit bigger they seem to realise that they need a bit of respect.

It's tricky to do though as if you go in all guns blazing (as I would in the UK) they just shut off, pretend they don't speak English and ignore you. It's like walking on eggshells sometimes I tell ya!