Copyright Augusta Free Press
If you follow pets on the Bluesky social media app, your feed is likely inundated with precious photos and videos of bunnies every day. All breeds of bunnies are showcased in Halloween costumes, munching on all kinds of food, posing among flowers, and just being downright adorable. The nonprofit animal rescue, Bunny Lu, currently based on Aero Drive in Augusta County, is hoping families will take that love to the next level and adopt (or foster) a rabbit or two while it relocates its base of operations. The Augusta County Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 on Aug. 27 against changes to the county code to allow Whitehouse to continue operations at her current home, in a neighborhood zoned for residential, just outside Waynesboro city limits. The board gave the organization six months to find a more suitable location for the rescue, which gives her until the end of February to shut down operations or move. As a result, founder Mary Ellen Whitehouse is looking for adopters or foster homes for approximately 20 rabbits by the end of the year. “We need to get all of the rabbits adopted or into long-term foster homes by the end of the year so that we can put our current property on the market and start moving to wherever the next chapter of Bunny Lu will be,” the rescue wrote on social media. ICYMI Bunny Lu given six months | Rabbit rescue draws praise, but must find a new location According to county staff, more than 96 percent of land in Augusta County could be home to the rescue without any zoning issues or code changes. Whitehouse has been operating the rescue at her Augusta County home since 2017 with no issues until a neighbor complained to the health department about rabbit manure along a property line ultimately leading to a broader discussion of zoning violations. “It is not my intention to close it [Bunny Lu] down, but I can’t support it where it’s located.” said Beverley Manor Supervisor Butch Wells, who did not seek re-election to the BOS. He did run for a seat on the school board in the Nov. 4 election but lost his bid. “Hopefully they will find a way not to shut it down. … I hope they can find enough support to find a location in accordance with our ordinances.” Whitehouse has not disclosed if she’s looking for another location in Augusta County or if she plans to move elsewhere. Related stories
