Page 12 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2025

COAST NOTE
Every-Bunny Matters
Lola & Friends Bunny Rescue of South Mississippi
story by Cherie Ward
photos courtesy of Lola & Friends Bunny Rescue
With their cotton candy fluff and bewhiskered twitchy noses, bunnies have an alluring magic that’s hard to resist.
“Little bunnies are probably one of the cutest things on the planet,” said James Johnson, who, along with his wife, Sherri, founded Lola & Friends Bunny Rescue of South Mississippi in Saucier.
“People get them for their children not understanding bunnies are a lot of work,” he explained. “Bunnies
are delicate, expensive because of veterinary costs, and need to be
litter trained. People get tired of them, then throw them out in a park thinking they can survive like a wild rabbit, and they can’t. Wild rabbits can live outside, but bunnies depend on humans. Everything is out to get a domestic bunny in the wild, and they hurt absolutely nothing.”
So, Lola & Friends was created to rescue bunnies up and down the
Gulf Coast, covering all areas from Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s the only nonprofit and registered charitable bunny rescue in the Magnolia State and one of only a handful in the Southeast.
And the Johnsons stay hopping busy. Within the last 10 months, Lola & Friends has saved more than 200 domesticated bunnies from living on neighborhood streets and in public parks all along the Coast.
The organization not only rehabilitates bunnies for adoption, but they also spay or neuter the rescues, handle medical needs, and even spend one-on-one time with each bunny to make sure they bond properly with other bunnies and humans alike.
It’s a tough job that has brought the couple out of retirement to fund the rescue and both now work full-time. “We work different shifts, so someone is always there to take care of the bunnies,” he said, adding he and his wife currently care for more than a hundred bunnies of all ages. “We see each other at midnight.”
Lola & Friends depends on donations and foster families that
are carefully vetted. For additional information about adoptions and other services, visit Lola & Friends Bunny Rescue of South Mississippi on their Facebook page. Their PayPal donation information can be found on their page as well.
And for families who already have
a fur-ever bunny, Lola & Friends has a safe space to board bunnies so that they receive custom bunny care while their owners are out of town.
12 | January 2025
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
Lola & Friends Bunny Rescue of South Mississippi
13296 Bethel Rd., Saucier 228.341.0185 Facebook @lolasbunnyrescue