Butters, a rabbit, grazes in the front yard of his house on North Thayer St. on Thursday. LSA junior Tyler Cole, Butters’ owner, said he lets Butters stay outside for three to eight hours a day, so he can eat his natural diet – grass and leaves. Cole said he researched rabbit food online when he got Butters about three weeks ago, but discovered it was formulated for weight gain and breeding purposes – not for the health of the rabbit. For that reason, he said letting the rabbit graze is the natural and cheap alternative. Some people have disagreed and called it animal cruelty, with some going so far as to try and take Butters away in a cage, Cole said, adding that most have been respectful of Butters and enjoy seeing him in the neighborhood.
- CLIF REEDER/Daily
