14/09/2026
⭕️CoCT PROPOSED ANIMAL KEEPING BY-LAW⭕️
🐇Regarding Rabbits — Points for the Rabbit Community🐇
Dear Rabbit Community,
The proposed by-law is just that: *proposed*. It is asking everyone to provide insight in order to make it better.
There are some *awesome points* in the proposed by-law, and there are also points that need to be addressed.
While many people are going overboard and using the proposed by-law for political backlash or to forward their own agendas and egos, there are a few points I would like to lift out for consideration.
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⚠️1. Rabbit Rescues
I am still busy trying to assess exactly where rabbit rescues are standing in this whole draft.
There are immense open criteria, which I am still discussing with a few valuable people within our bunny community.
I will therefore address the rescue-related sections separately once this has been properly worked through.
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⚠️2. To the House Rabbit Community
Please **read through the proposed by-law for yourselves and decide for yourselves**.
What I would like to lift out are the following points. However, I need everyone to read the document themselves and raise their own viewpoints.
# # # The different ways rabbits are viewed and kept
💗 2.1. House Rabbits / Companion Animals / Emotional Support Animals
The modern world of rabbits includes:
* House rabbits living indoors,
* Rabbits that are sterilised and bonded,
* Rabbits living in a usually free-roam environment in rooms,
* Rabbits being kept as companion animals.
* Rabbits being kept as emotional support animals.
* Rabbits being recognised as highly intelligent and sensitive animals that are generally not suited to younger children.
😞2.2. The old-school view of rabbits
Rabbits are still often viewed as:
* Children's toys.
* Garden ornaments.
* Touch-farm victims.
* Meat animals.
😶 2.3 Fancy Breeders
Breeders who:
* Enhance and maintain specific breeds.
* Work towards ensuring the continued existence of certain rabbit breeds/species.
😞2.4. Rabbit Farmers
People who keep rabbits as livestock for consumption.
These are very different forms of rabbit keeping and should not simply be treated as one category.
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🆘️ 3. Our Most Important Point: House Rabbits Must Be Recognised
Our most important aim should be to ensure that the City of Cape Town understands that there are **many companion animals and emotional support animals**.
We therefore ask that: House Rabbits be recognised as a separate, modern way of keeping rabbits
There should either be:
* a separate section dealing with House Rabbits/Companion Rabbits; or
* House Rabbits should be included under the keeping of Exotic Animals, as there currently does not appear to be a specific section dealing with them.
❓️Why?
* There are many people who have rabbits as their Emotional Support Animals.
* There are many rabbits that will die if they suddenly have to be kept outdoors.
* House Rabbits are part of the new, modern and recognised way of keeping these highly intelligent and sensitive creatures, particularly now that RHDV has been recognised in South Africa.
* House Rabbits are accepted and encouraged worldwide as a way of preventing uncontrolled breeding, escaping and the development of feral colonies.
➡️Section 35 — Point 35
The statement that:
> “Rabbits should only be kept outside.”
needs to be addressed.
This indicates that the City of Cape Town does not yet understand the modern House Rabbit community.
We need to **educate them**.
The understanding that rabbits are garden ornaments or meat animals is still widespread, but the modern House Rabbit is a **companion animal**.
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⏹️4. Permits
There is currently no clear explanation regarding permits, including:
* Proposed costs.
* Whether permits will be required **per rabbit, per batch or per breeder**.
* Whether permits will be once-off for an individual animal.
* Whether permits will be annual.
* What intervals will apply to renewing permits.
* How the permit system will work for breeders.
For breeders, this is a particularly important point.
For House Rabbit keepers, it is also important that there is a clear system whereby animals can be **identified and ownership can be proven**.
➡️Section 27.2 (d), (e) and (f)
This section refers to permits for:
* Birds.
* Rabbits.
* Exotic animals.
These permits relate to the keeping and/or breeding of these animals.
⚠️Request
Please ask for **clear information regarding permits, fees, requirements and validity periods**.
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⛔️ 5. Pet Shops and the Selling of Animals
➡️ Sections 12 and 30
Because permits are required before acquiring certain animals, including:
* Birds, where more than five are kept;
* Rabbits; and
* Exotic animals,
pet shops should have to establish whether the required permit exists before selling such animals.
Ultimately, however, we should **oppose pet shops selling live animals that require permits.
❓️Why?
We live in a modern era, where people can obtain pets from much better, safer options. No more 1980's where bo one knew where to get any pet...
So.
This would help to stop the impulsive buying of animals simply because they look “cute”.
These are often the animals that are:
* Dumped.
* Sold as food afterwards.
* Exchanged for new babies when they grow up.
* Never sterilized, become back yard breeds, and no one recognized their illness or suffering, and where vets are not actively involved
Pet shops can also support unethical and backyard breeding.
Good breeders often have animals **booked in advance** or sell through their own platforms, where they can keep better records and tabs on the animals' health.
# # # Small-animal welfare concerns
Many animals sold through pet shops may carry conditions such as **coccidia**, which can only become apparent approximately a fortnight after purchase.
This can result in:
* Dead animals.
* Broken hearts.
* Veterinary bills.
* Contamination of soil.
Our worst small-animal welfare issue is caused by **pet shops and backyard breeders** who:
* Do not sterilise animals.
* Allow them to breed.
* Continue selling the offspring.
* Continue the cycle.
* Ultimately dump animals.
* Animals pass of reproductive cancers and pyometra.
This is also where a large proportion of feral colonies originate - dumped because the obtainer tired of their impulse buy.
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⭕️ 6. ➡️Section 19.7 — Seizure or Removal of Animals
Please ask that an additional clause be included stating that:
**No animal may be removed if it can be proven that the animal is being treated or overseen by an independent private veterinarian.**
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⭕️7. ➡️Section 19.8 — Destruction/Euthanasia of Animals
Section 19.8 currently refers to:
> “All animals” being destroyed as approved by a registered veterinarian.
The wording should be reviewed.
The wording currently stating that only **cats and dogs** should be “destroyed as approved of a registered vet” should be changed to include **all animals**, particularly where companion animals are involved.
The current wording leaves open the possibility that:
* Rabbits;
* Guinea pigs;
* Hamsters; and
* Birds
could potentially be fed to other animals, sold as food, etc.
Large/farm animals may be used as food for others, and I understand that this may be necessary in the case of farm animals.
However, this should **not be allowed with companion animals**.
This is particularly important because there is no longer a clause stating that **live animals may not be fed to other animals**.
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⚠️ 8. Dwellings and Animal Quotas
It is interesting that, with cats and dogs, quotas have been allocated according to different types of dwellings.
Shacks in informal settlements fall under “other dwellings” and may have up to **three dogs per shack**.
This means that potentially more than 300 animals could be allowed within 1 km², while a huge farm may only be allowed six.
🆘️ Request🆘️
Please ask that **only one animal per shack** be allowed.
There is a reason why the City and higher welfare organisations do not call this out.
Too often, animal welfare has become a lucrative business where only the symptoms are treated, resulting in the snowball effect of continued breeding.
Anti-breeding laws are not upheld, while townships are allowed to keep—and breed—huge numbers of animals.
Meanwhile, genuine rescues are trying to curb the problem.
If the correct laws had been made and enforced **25–30 years ago**, we would not be where we are today.
Let us therefore take up the law and start curbing the number of animals.
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⭕️9. Sections 35 and 36 — Farming and Consumption
Section 35 appears to have been written primarily with **farming** in mind, while Section 36 deals with the killing of animals for consumption.
# # # Request
Please ask that:
**No subsistence farming be allowed in residential areas.**
Subsistence farming should be restricted to:
* Plots; and
* Agricultural dwellings.
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❇️10. A Proper Section for Exotic Animals and Companion Animals
Please ask that a proper section be included, and reviewed, dealing specifically with:
* Exotic animals.
* Companion birds.
* Companion rabbits.
* Indoor House Rabbits.
These animals should not simply be placed into categories designed around livestock or traditional animal keeping.
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‼️‼️ Read the By-law and Make Your Own Submission‼️‼️
The above is aimed specifically at **Companion Rabbit and House Rabbit keepers** and is a guide to the points we currently see.
I am still working through the sections relating to **animal welfare and rescues**, as this is considerably more complicated.
Please also go through the proposed by-law yourself.
**Decide for yourself.**
Include **all species that you own** and raise the points that you personally feel are valid.
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‼️‼️‼️ IMPORTANT — Submit Your Own Email
Each person should write and submit **their own email**.
A batch of signatures counts as **one single objection/comment**.
Your own individual submission therefore matters.
Please keep your email:
* Calm.
* Well set out.
* Educational.
* Focused on the actual proposed by-law.
* Free from politics and personal attacks.
The purpose should be to **educate and improve the proposed by-law**.
❇️Submit your comments to:
**Llewellyn Grove**
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
⚠️Deadline:
**Before 12h00 on 29 September 2026.**
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⏹️ Documents to Read
# # # 2026 Draft Animal Keeping By-law
https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/newsandnotices/site-media/documents/Draft-Animal-Keeping-By-law.pdf
# # # Current Animal By-law
https://www.capetown.gov.za/_documents/resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Bylaws%20and%20policies/Animals%20By-law%202010.pdf
Public comments close on:
29 September 2026, please mail before!
Your voice matters!
(Please forgive my use of AI formulation this time, to ensure structure, the words are my own)
