Jollyes NI to cordon off small animal pens ahead of government’s emergency alert broadcast this Sunday

Pet retailer Jollyes will cordon off in-store small animal pens on the afternoon of Sunday, April 23 in all Northern Ireland stores.

The in-store action at all 12 local stores is being taken because the government plans to test its new mobile phone emergency alert system this weekend.

Jollyes is concerned that hundreds of phones issuing a siren at the same time during trading hours, could startle its small animals.

Jollyes will also warn customers in-store ahead of the 3pm broadcast that the alert is coming as well as station colleagues without a mobile phone close to the animal pen barriers, so they can quickly acknowledge the message on their phones and stop the siren.

Jollyes’ retail director Craig Smith, said: “We understand why the government needs to test its new warning system, but we’re concerned that doing so in trading hours may startle any small animals – especially rabbits in store. We’ve asked our store colleagues to do what they can to minimise any noise.”

Rabbits are able to hear different sounds far more clearly than humans - and loud noises can unsettle them. The sound of fireworks, a loud bang from a gun, or even a vacuum can be terrifying for a rabbit.

Rabbits are highly tuned to their surroundings, especially sounds and are conditioned to sense danger in a variety of ways. They have powerful hearing skills and have the ability to move quickly and avoid being attacked. Doing so makes them jittery and easily afraid, but it also helps them to survive.

A rabbit’s sense of fear is a survival tactic. Therefore, it’s easy for a rabbit to get nervous and frightened, especially during noisy conditions.