With fluffy bunnies and friends all around, the LSU AgCenter Dairy Store hosted its final animal event, Boogie with the Bunnies, on Friday as part of a series dedicated to teaching students about the importance of agriculture in Louisiana.
The Dairy Store has worked alongside the LSU AgCenter to bring many different types of animals to the store’s front lawn throughout the year. These animals are typical agricultural species, such as goats, bunnies and lambs.
According to Lauren Bascle, an employee at the Dairy Store and senior art major, these events help students learn on their own accord.
“We have a lot of students stop by and just ask different types of questions,” Bascle said. “They’ll notice the bunnies’ ears are tattooed, and they’re like ‘Oh, why are they tattooed?’ And it’s like ‘Oh, because we have to mark their sex and things like that’ … It really just contributes to understanding how agricultural life works.”
To end off the year strong, the store invited rabbit breeders Kathryn and Jerome LeBlanc from Sulphur, Louisiana. Along with her parents was Addison LeBlanc, a sophomore marine biology major. They visited LSU’s campus to give students the opportunity to meet these furry friends and potentially adopt one for the price of $15.
“We started when [Addison] was in high school with show rabbits, and we just kind of bred some,” Kathryn said. “Sometimes we sell them for meat, and sometimes we sell them as pets. Some of them are show grade, and some of them we just call bunnies.”
The difference between the bunnies, which are actually rabbits, is their breed. The LeBlanc family brought with them Mini Rex, Mini Lops and Lop mixes, all of which are smaller breeds of rabbit.
“The Mini Rex, both of their ears are pointed up and they have Rex fur,” Addison said. “The Mini Lops are a bigger breed, and they have floppy ears.”
The students excitedly approached the bunnies for the opportunity to learn about them and their differences while holding them for a quick cuddle. Even if they did not know about the event beforehand, many students could not resist stopping by for a quick peek at the bunnies.
“I was just kind of walking to class and I saw them,” said Aria Kramer, a junior art history major. “I love bunnies so much.”
Other students said that seeing events like this motivates them to attend class and visit campus.
“It’s one of the reasons I came to school today,” said Gabrielle Viviano, a sophomore industrial engineering major.
For Jaden Booker, a freshman psychology major, it was a chance to get outside.
“It made me want to get out of my dorm,” Booker said, “because I don’t even have class on Fridays.”
Some of the students at the event didn’t just see it as an opportunity to play with bunnies, but also the chance to hang out with friends and meet new people.
Events like Boogie with the Bunnies offer students the chance to learn outside of the classroom while further building the community found at LSU.
“It brings us all together,” said Maddie Lau, a freshman English major. “I feel like we’re all very kind. When someone wants to hold a bunny, the other person will just give it to them.”
