Zelda's Eulogy
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Zelda was the most special black and white rabbit. Not many rabbits live 11 years, the last 5 with cancer. Not many rabbits ever get to know over 1,000 school children. Not many rabbits get books written about them. Not many rabbits have a doctor who cares so much for them. Miss Komatsu thinks Zelda was born in January 1989, along with a brother named Prince. Zelda and Prince were given to Miss Komatsu in Spring 1989 by Miss Kawahara at Pearl Harbor Elementary School. Miss Kawahara had gotten tired of taking care of Zelda and Prince. They lived in small cages that sat on a table near the windows. At first, Miss Komatsu didn't know anything about rabbits. She bought some books and read, studied and learned how to take care of Zelda and Prince. She found out that Zelda and Prince were called Dutch rabbits. Miss Komatsu would let the rabbits out to play in the yard after school. Zelda and Prince learned to play nearby their cage. Zelda soon had a litter of 6 babies. They were all black and white except for one, which was gray and white. Miss Komatsu gave these bunnies to some of her students. Zelda would go on to have 14 more babies. Her last litter even had one white albino bunny. One of Zelda's sons is still alive. His name is Brownie. He lives in Kailua. After Prince died, Zelda became a free-running rabbit. She did not need to live in a cage. She knew how to use a litter box as her bathroom. She drank water from a cup. Zelda was very happy at Pearl Harbor Elementary School. As soon as Miss Komatsu would open the door in the morning, Zelda would run outside into the yard to explore, dig holes or raid the garden. Zelda's favorite things to eat from the garden were: string beans, radish leaves, soy bean leaves, corn leaves, and young lettuce. She did not like squash, zucchini, peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, sweet potato or okra. Zelda's other hobbies at Pearl Harbor were: running around the classroom visiting children, playing with rhythms sticks, chewing cables and boxes, raiding the snack basket, and visiting other classrooms. At the end of the day, Miss Komatsu could always find Zelda near her food, under the TV stand or in the garden. Zelda's favorite foods besides her pellets were: animal crackers, Cheerios, bananas, carrots, alfalfa, grapes, apples, sunflower seeds and peanuts, but Miss Komatsu couldn't feed her too much of those. They were just treats. In 1997, Miss Komatsu became the Music teacher and Zelda became the Music Rabbit at Kalihi-Kai School. Every week many of the 850 students looked forward more to seeing Zelda than learning about music. Zelda would come out and visit the students. The students who were scared of Zelda needed to sit in the back row. The students saw Zelda perform the animal cracker trick. Miss Komatsu would hold a cracker in her mouth and Zelda would reach up to get it. Zelda chewed a computer cable, but don't tell Mr. Yamada. Zelda last lived in Room 34. She loved the students, but she was lonely. She didn't like to walk on the bare floor. She liked the carpet area better. Miss Komatsu thought Zelda needed a companion, so she bought her pet fish. Zelda soon pushed over the fish tank. Zelda got a new pet, Heidi the guinea pig. Although Heidi needed to live in a cage, she was good company for Zelda. Zelda had a wonderful vet, Dr. Pauline Koreyasu of Kapalama Pet Hospital. Zelda first met Dr. Koreyasu at the University Pet Clinic in Manoa. Dr. Koreyasu eventually performed 8 surgeries on Zelda to remove different cancerous lumps. Zelda always recovered quickly from these surgeries, except for the last time. Dr. K is the most compassionate and giving vet ever. She never charged for the surgeries because of Zelda's role as class pet and school mascot. Zelda passed away last Wednesday, February 8, after surgery to remove a big lump on her shoulder. Zelda has taught the school children and the adults many things through the years. She was a model of perseverance, never giving up. She was a caring mother. She was a funny rabbit who sometimes did naughty things, but we still loved her. She was not like a pet, but a regular member of our family. Zelda lived a good, full life and we will all remember her forever. |