By Hannah Frishberg | New York Post

Here’s a fluff piece to brighten your spirits.

Along with cats and dogs, New Yorkers are also bringing home rabbits as a fuzzy balm for the soul in trying times.

“A lot of people who hadn’t even considered rabbits before are fostering and having a good time,” says Colleen AF Venable, who has volunteered with rescue organizations Animal Care Centers of NYC and Bunnies and Beyond for three years. “All the rabbits in the shelter are currently in foster care -- it’s very uncommon.” Usually, the shelter she works in has 20 to 40 rabbits.

When she realized the pandemic would be keeping her in her apartment much more than usual, she offered to bring home two infant bunnies in need of round-the-clock care. “This is the first time I’ve ever taken care of baby bunnies,” says the associate director at Epic! Kids, who is quarantining alone in Crown Heights with 3-week-old Nugget and Chonkers, and the rest of her bunny brood: 6-year-old Tuck, 5-year-old Cher and 2-year-old Maxi. “It’s kind of like my zen right now. It’s the thing getting me through every day: taking care of them and, in turn, they’re taking care of me,” she says.

The ACC doesn’t normally send out bunnies for fostering, but when it became clear that New York City was shutting down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the organization made an exception.

“Basically, since March 13, that’s when we did our big push for fostering,” says Katy Hansen, ACC’s director of marketing and communications. They were quickly cleaned out.

“I don’t think we have any bunnies available right now,” she tells The Post, noting they usually do. “There’s an uptick in all adoptions, and people needing the companionship of an animal -- plus they’re so cute,” she says, noting that bunnies have the added benefit of not needing to be walked.