Whole Foods Rabbit Meat Protest Instructions
Thank you so much for participating in a customer awareness protest outside your local Whole Foods store!
Our personal experiences have been really positive and we believe if you speak from the heart and stay
grounded and calm yours will be too! This document was a collaboration of many rabbit advocates. We are
here to encourage you in something that is new for most of us! Animal activism can be tough because it
wakes up some difficult feelings in people. We can do this! You can find more discussion and support in
the facebook group Rabbit Advocacy Network.
We have stepped up our game a bit as we are all getting frustrated with Whole Foods flippant responses
and lack of compassion towards our beloved companion animals. We will be well represented across with
rabbit advocates protesting outside a large number of the stores! I think most of us feel betrayed. Please be
proud of your stance on this issue.
Your efforts will make a difference! Speak up for those with no voice!
Our goals:
1. Be polite, respectful and confident. We will be taken seriously this way.
2. Share with customers the nationwide disappointment in WF for selling pet rabbits in their meat case.
3. Inform people that rabbits live like cats and dogs! (use litter box, sleep on our beds, and greet us when we get
home!)
4. Ask them to fill out a comment card and/or talk to a Shift Lead inside the store.
5. *** Additionally they can sign the petition online at change.org. You can ask people to do it right then on their
smartphone or yours! http://tinyurl.com/norabbitWF If they’re a rabbit person, they can join our facebook
group, Rabbit Advocacy Network, and help in more ways!
6. Hand them a flier.
What to bring:
1. **Support! Have at minimum 2 people.
2. Printed handouts. Flier-print 50+ Can be found at
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_ToX69jDIXfdEF5REcxZzhLMEE
3. Water, a smile, comfortable shoes and a clean appearance.
4. Your driver’s license or ID
5. Additionally you can make a poster with printed photos of your rabbits (or ours) and “Whole Foods please stop
selling our pets!” in print or written. ** This seems to have a good impact and get attention!**
Where to set up:
1. On public property as close to the front doors as possible. This might be at the edge of the parking lot, on the
sidewalk or across the street.
2. A safe place that does not block wheelchair access or sidewalks.
3. If you are asked to move by an employee then please do unless you are positive it is public property.
What to Say:
You will most likely develop your own one liner to grab people’s attention. Here are some ideas:
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"Whole Foods is testing the sale of rabbit meat in some of their stores. We are trying to prevent it from
becoming a permanent item."
“Are you aware that Whole Foods is selling the meat of pets?”
“Hi, I love my pet bunny can you help me by reading my flier?”
“I don’t think it’s ok to eat pets! Agree? fill out a comment card!”
“I’m sad Whole Foods is selling pet bunnies, can you ask them to stop?”
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“I’m not asking for money, just a minute to help the bunnies!”
“Against testing on bunnies, but for slaughtering them, hypocritical isn’t it?”
If people pause to listen, tell them what it’s like to live with a bunny and ask them to fill out a comment
card and talk to a shift lead/customer service if they are disappointed as well.
If you are more comfortable being quiet, wear a smile and hold your sign proudly.
Be prepared for:
We have found most people are very supportive and surprised to learn WF is selling rabbit meat.
Something you might hear and our response ideas:
Q: “Why save rabbits and not cows?”
R: “I think Whole Foods is trying to normalize eating pets and I am not ok with that.”
“This issue is close to my heart, millions of americans also have pet rabbits.”
“ I can’t save them all so I save some”
“This is the first pet in the meat case, If it were dogs you might be upset too”
“I’m here for the rabbits and that’s all I am willing to talk to you about”
Q:”If they are raised humanely isn’t that ok?”
R:”Would it be ok if it were dogs that were raised humanely?” if they say yes then “ok, you don’t have to support my
cause”
“Is any killing humane?”
Here are some ideas on how to deal with people who aren’t supportive:
● “I’m just here speaking up for my pets as I would if it were dog meat.”
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“you don’t have to support us if you don’t wish to.” and turn your attention away
“I am sad and disappointed in a store I like so I am speaking up”
“I am not here to argue about other topics, just rabbits”
“I believe in kindness to all animals and am fighting for something I believe in”
"I am here to advocate for family pets---rabbits That (issue they are bringing up) is a different issue. If you would
like to discuss that, feel free to email me.
Don’t yell at anyone, don’t get into a debate, take the high road.
Remember to speak from your heart, feel confident in your beliefs and feelings even if you get a discouraging
comment or look. You are their voice, you are making a difference and you are doing something brave and something
you believe in!!
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Lisa Rockwell for some support! lisalisarockwell@gmail.com