“Einstein the bunny has died,” said the voice on the other end of the phone.
Ley-Anne Mountain, owner of Naturally Nurtured therapy bunnies Einstein and Willow, said the four-year-old bunny passed away at the end of June but she has just been able to tell people.
Naturally Nurtured is a local company that uses horses and bunnies to help teach healthy, natural techniques that can be used every day to support health and wellness. Area schools and seniors' residences have hosted Mountain and her animals.
“Einstein was a special bunny, and along with Willow, has visited school classrooms around the Innisfail area,” said Mountain. “I introduced Willow as a young bunny with Einstein to students and they have both been well received.”
Since Einstein's passing, Willow has been in mourning.
Einstein and Willow were visitors this past year to Ecole John Wilson Elementary School as part of her wellness program. The bunnies were the stars of the show.
“Students gathered around the bunnies and could not resist petting the animals,” said Mountain. “Every child enjoyed their presence.”
Mountain added that each child has different reasons for liking Einstein and Willow.
“I like bunnies because they have big teeth,” said 10-year-old Dylan Shlen.
Kayla Thibeault, 10, liked the bunnies because they are soft and cuddly.
“I get to take animals to children in classrooms and the rabbits take it all in stride. They take all the cuddles and attention students give them,” said Mountain. “I continually marvel at the ability of animals to teach us lessons about life. They are natural teachers.”
Einstein, whose unique personality and unconditional love reached everyone who interacted with him, was a big, one-of-a-kind, gentle, loveable and sometimes silly lop-eared rabbit added Mountain.
“He loved bananas,” she said. “When kids learned that, they would feed him and while he was eating, he twitched.”
One of the bunnies' last visits was to Autumn Glen Lodge around Easter and the seniors loved the elder bunny just as much as the kids did, added Mountain.
While Einstein was alive, Mountain selected a young bunny, Potter, to be part of her pet therapy program.
“Willow is now the senior rabbit, and Potter will be the understudy,” said Mountain. “Einstein will not be forgotten, but Potter and Willow will build their own legacy and honour Einstein's.”
