City of Tulsa issues court date to man over violation of rabbit ordinances

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A man from Tulsa, Oklahoma is in a hare-y situation with the city over his den of rabbits.

Roger Henry said notices from the city have multiplied like bunnies since November, when he first started receiving them.

According to Tulsa city ordinance, rabbits kept in areas not zoned for agriculture must be kept in a building at least 50 feet away from any residence and floors have to be easily cleanable and have screens.

The ordinance limits Tulsans to own six adult rabbits and 15 rabbits under eight weeks old; Henry owns 11 rabbits, which roam in his backyard.

On May 4th, he was issued a court date for "unlawfully maintaining rabbits at a location allowed to run loose in [his] backyard and free in street," according to the citation.

I was kind of shocked," he told KTUL. "Surprised and shocked. Like why would anybody care about this?”

Henry, who moved to Tulsa from California during the pandemic, said it gives him joy to see them hop around freely.

"I consider them my family and my friends," he said.

Henry knows he's violating the ordinance, but he says it's ridiculous.

I mean, if I was like mistreating my rabbits, I could understand why the city would maybe want to bother me, but I mean, I spend a lot of money and effort to try to create a very healthy environment for them," he said.

Henry has a tent with air conditioning and water and feeds them fresh vegetables multiple times a day.

“I totally think it's a waste of taxpayer dollars," he said of the city.

Councilor Jayme Fowler, who notes Henry was violating the ordinance, agreed.

Quite frankly I think we could probably use the taxpayers money better and our time, more wisely," he said.

Ultimately, Fowler said it's the municipal court's job to determine how to move forward with Henry's case.

"I'll put the the judgment in the judges hands and let them discern, you know, whether it's dumb or smart or maybe somewhere in between," he said.

Henry said he plans to speak at a city council meeting to push to change the ordinance.

His court date is set for next month.