Beautiful Batch The Bun

Beautiful Batch - July 2011 - June 2019

This is a special post for a special bunny called Batch. Batch was one of our rabbits at college and was a keen favourite with both students and staff. He was a bit of a mixed variety but had very soft long fur which was great for grooming.

Batch was the happy outcome of two rabbits we had at college called Peanut (mum) and Benjy (dad). Somehow Peanut and Benjy (who lived in separate enclosures) were accidentally left out together by some students and Batch was the product of this. Batch was born in our mammal room in the summer of 2011. It was really nice that Batch was born at college and had the genes of two well loved college buns. He was quite quiet and placid and never really minded being handled.

Peanut and Me 2014

 
Originally Batch was housed with Peanut and another beautiful bun called Snowball, but then he was on his own for a while until about 2 years ago when his new wife bun Jemima arrived. Jemima is very funny and extremely protective over Batch and despite the fact he was about 5-6 years older than her he did not mind being fussed over. I do not have any pictures of Batch and Jemima together but below is a fairly poor picture of Jemima but the only one I have without students in it. 

Jemima arrived at college 2017

Sadly due to his age Batch's health had detioriated in the last few months so I was mindful to check in on him every now and again. Last Wed. I happened to be near the mammal room so thought I would go and see how he was. He was sitting up in his hay bowl and seemed relaxed and okay. Two of the senior students fed him some greens which he wholeheartedly ate. I later found out that around about 2 hours after this one of the technicians went in to the room and found he had passed away.

I am very sad he has now gone but pleased that he went peacefully, in the enclosure next to the one he was born in.Jemima was there with him and it was nice and quiet. We are hoping to bond her with a new male over the summer if we can find somebun suitable.

As mentioned in previous posts I truly believe that God promises there will be creatures on the new earth and there is no reason why this is not the ones that we have had relationships with here on this earth.

We have the hope that we will see our pets in heaven. This is not sentimental but supported in various books of the bible - two key ones being Isaiah and Revelation. Isaiah in chapter 65:25 mentions the wolf and the lamb feeding together.

Isaiah 65:17-19

God is so good to us and gives us so many wonderful promises of what is to come and will be so overwhelmed by his love that eternity is more than we can begin to imagine. There is only joy in heaven and on the new earth so it makes sense we would be reunited with our animals and I hope this includes the ones I have loved over the years from the college collection as well as my own dearly departed ones.