This year, Chinese New Year falls on Jan 22 and it marks the start of the year of the rabbit.

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said if there was a need for a rabbit to symbolise good fortune, elegance, and beauty, people could acquire a toy rabbit or figurine instead.

“In a consumer-oriented society, people are tempted to get the animal associated with the zodiac animal for the year. The inevitable outcome of which is neglect, abuse, mistreatment, and abandonment,” he said in a statement.

He added that as with any other past zodiac “animal trend”, there was bound to be extensive exploitation by pet retailers, petting zoos, and animal farms, due to the brisk demand for the furry creature.

“A high sales pitch is very worrisome to CAP because of the misconception that rabbits are low maintenance pets,” he said.

Mohideen also said observations by CAP revealed that rabbits were often bought from pet stores and then confined in cages.

Rabbit owners have no idea that their pets needed space to exercise as they are social creatures needing social stimulation, he said.

He said they were often seen in tiny hutches without proper food, or sometimes having no food, and some dirty water.

“Despite their popularity, rabbits are among the most neglected animals that humans have domesticated, insensitive to the suffering such domestication often entails,” he added.

“It is time for people to change their thoughts about keeping (them as) pets and tackle the ignorance that is so prevalent.”