Minnesota Academy of Science Statement Regarding Peacebunny Foundation
July 7, 2022
This past March, high school student Caleb Smith submitted a science project to the 2022 Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF), a statewide program run by the Minnesota Academy of Science (MAS). The goal of his project was to test the benefits and potential harms of receiving a treatment of oral sucrose (sugar) prior to a needle prick. Data for his project were gathered during two vaccine clinics, where members of the public brought their pet rabbits for vaccination for the highly-contagious Rabbit Hemorrhagic Virus. The clinics were staffed by more than two dozen trained veterinary workers.
When entering his project in the SSEF, Caleb filled out extensive paperwork that was subject to scientific review and assessed to ensure that no ethical or safety rules were violated during the course of his research. The expert reviewers found no violations in his project. At the Minnesota SSEF, Caleb received several awards from MAS, most notably the opportunity to compete as a Finalist at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in May 2022. Caleb did compete at ISEF, where he won a Third place Award in his project category of Animal Science.
In late June, MAS learned via a news broadcast that the rabbit sanctuary known as Peacebunny Cottage, operated by Caleb’s family’s foundation, was under investigation for the possible mistreatment of animals. On July 5, we learned via news reports that Stephanie Smith, Caleb's mother and President of the nonprofit Peacebunny Foundation, was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. The rabbits have since been removed from the location and are being cared for by the Humane Society.
We are very saddened and distressed to learn of the alleged mistreatment of the rabbits at Peacebunny Cottage and of the deaths of so many animals under Caleb’s care. Yet we must also consider that Caleb was until recently a minor and that his Science Fair project cleared extensive checks to ensure there was no mistreatment of animals or ethical violations during the course of his research. We have to date found no connection between the operations of Peacebunny Foundation and Caleb’s award-winning science project. While some Peacebunny volunteers may have helped with the vaccination clinic and sucrose trial that was the subject of Caleb's project, the rabbits involved in the trial were brought by their owners and were entirely cared for by their owners at all times. For these reasons, we have no plans at this time to revoke Caleb’s awards or sanction him in any way. However, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and we will keep ISEF informed as required.
