As a victim of animal testing, Freddie is a testimony to the resilience of animals that spend a significant part of their lives suffering in labs.
Freddie’s story is an incredibly sad one, however not uncommon. He was a subject for testing at a university in the UK. He was kept there for 1 year before an animal advocate managed to negotiate his, and several other animals from different species groups, release. Freddie’s first year of life would have been nothing but misery, kept in a small metal enclosure with no stimulation or comfort, only handled when he was taken out to be poked or prodded. It took several months after his release for him to trust us at home. When Freddie first arrived we wanted to see where he would fit in best and whether he wanted to be indoors or outdoors, and truth be told he loved both but is mainly indoor now and has bonded closely with Cooper rabbit. They have developed into the perfect match and absolutely adore spending time with one another.
Freddie is a giant breed and is by far the largest bun resident here at the Hoppy Acre. He doesn’t stop eating and wherever you are if you shake the biscuit jar or call out ‘Freddie, Biscuit’, he will be on your toes within a few seconds.
For Freddie to have warmed to us and to now have moved past the clear PTSD suffered (certain noises or situations would trigger this) means the world to us. He is so friendly now to the humans he knows and every day it feels like he wants to be closer to us, often throwing himself or laying up against different parts of our body whilst on the floor.
It was recently Freddie’s 2 year anniversary of being here which means he is approx 3 years old. However many years Freddie has, he will never know the hand of cruelty again. He will always know true freedom and liberation with us, where he can be whoever he wants to be and flourish.
Freddie is a black continental giant rabbit. His first year was spent at a university vet lab inside a small cold container. The testing carried out is medicine & chemical, mainly injecting fluid to test for reactions. His brother who wasn’t released is still there now (as far as I am aware). Melisa, a vet student who was placed there managed to negotiate the release of Freddie and a couple other species, hamsters and guinea pigs. All of which have lived long lives and we luckily met several of them.
Freddie arrived in good condition health-wise but would have severe PTSD reactions to certain noises and human interactions. The most abstract of actions would completely freak him out. Over 2 years they have slowly become less and less. He now displays full trust and total comfort with his behavior and body language. He has 2 bonded partners. Cooper for 2 years and Bear was added in May 2020. Freya is joining this week.
He is very much the ‘big brother’ even though he is only 3 and Cooper and Bear are both double his age. The relationship is in perfect harmony and Freddie is the protector. He is truly a survivor in every sense of the word. How he has flourished is an act of resistance against animal testing. He created his future and developed into who he has become, he just needed the right environment which The Hoppy Acre provided.