RVA Street Bunny Society was founded in August 2024 following our rescue of 15 abandoned bunnies in a trailer community in Richmond. Two of the co-founders learned about an abandoned bunny from someone who does TNR (trap-neuter-release) in the neighborhood, and soon realized how many there were. It took over five months (October 2023-March 2024) for a group of dedicated volunteers who met through Facebook, going out multiple times a week to rescue the bunnies hiding under trailers and in the surrounding woods. They met our third co-founder after asking for volunteers to rescue the trailer bunnies in the Richmond Vegan Facebook group.

Following this rescue mission, they began receiving and finding other reports of abandoned bunnies all over Richmond. They realized how widespread this problem is, leading them to start the rescue since no other organizations in the area were dedicated specifically to rescuing abandoned bunnies. They also learned that oftentimes, animal control is unavailable to rescue bunnies, and most of the shelters in Virginia do not spay and neuter - a critical part of addressing the companion animal overpopulation and abandonment crisis.

In just a few months, the rescue has organized rescue teams across Virginia, including the Roanoke Valley and Hampton Roads, where dozens of abandoned bunnies have since been brought to safety. Since August 2024, RVA Street Bunny Society has rescued nearly 200 bunnies across Virginia.