Pets or meat? Venezuela's Maduro urges starving populace to eat rabbits

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has introduced a “Rabbit Plan” that encourages people to start eating rabbits rather than keep them as pets in a bid to tackle the country's food shortages.

Venezuela has been ravaged by an ongoing economic crisis spurred by the socialist policies of Maduro and his predecessor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.

Low supplies of food and medicine are leaving millions of people starving and desperate for medical treatment. A study published earlier this year reported that roughly 75 percent of Venezuelans lost an average of 19 pounds in the last year due to food shortages

Appearing on state television, Maduro suggested people should start eating rabbits as a less expensive alternative to other meat, the BBC reported.
“For animal protein, which is such an important issue, a 'rabbit plan' has been approved because rabbits also breed like rabbits,” he said.

The plan was devised as a fight back against an alleged economic war waged against the country by foreign governments, especially the U.S. and President Donald Trump, NPR reported.

But the move to start consuming rabbits has run into a “cultural problem,” according to Freddy Bernal, Venezuela’s minister of urban agriculture, who also appeared on the television program.

After Maduro gave rabbits to 15 communities as a pilot program to feed the country, most people decided to keep the animals as pets.

Venezuela’s minister of urban agriculture Bernal also said the government needs to begin a campaign in the media “so that the people understand that rabbits aren't pets but two and a half kilos of meat.”

The “Rabbit Plan” prompted stark condemnation from the opposition, which called the program a “bad joke” and said Maduro believes the people are “stupid.”

yep rabbits are one of the best and cheapest meat animals

Plus they reproduce

Yummy too.

so which meat animals don't reproduce????

I meant reproduce a lot

Well, there are lots of country's that don't have a problem with eating Rabbit, maybe they could do a bit of trading with them,how many Rabbits for a horse etc.

i thought thats what all pets were for...food when we need it...

I think they tried that in Cuba
Rabbit, a socialist solution to starvation.

and just how many oriental restaurants have been closed in the us for that logic moe????

Well, I am an animal lover, but if you are starving through hunger

wont see any stray dogs or cats in vietnam...

then david wouldn't care for it there

I'd never try that

human nature sweety...we'll eat anything to survive...

I know people that eat rabbit, rattlers, squirrels, etc. Good meat especially when you don't have a lot of money

Seriously animals have a purposes. Some to guard, companions, work or food

people nowadays have it easy,just go to the store and get what you like...not like 200 years ago when if people wanted to eat, they had to go kill something..anything...

i know Moe...but still i think that's cruel..no judgment here..
i for one dont eat meat..

i do..love a good steak...rabbit stew too! since the jackrabbits are the size of bears here...ya know,everything is bigger in Texas..

you're the best bud ever..