Is "save toby" a hoax?

Factual Questions
1

http://www.savetoby.com/

I found an old pit thread about this, but after seeing it on the NBC nightly news last night, I thought I’d resurrect it.

This guy has a web site that claims he’s going to kill a bunny if he doesn’t get $50,000 from people before June 30th, 2005.

Snopes says that the web site is fake, but their arguments are less than convincing. To wit,

  1. One person claimed they saw “this is a joke” on the page one day.

  2. There once was another ‘save the bunny’ site which was a joke.

  3. There’s a “save fluffy” site with the same rabbit (although that link is to something different currently).

  4. The money total is not a counter, but is statically updated

  5. The fact that we kill a lot of rabbits so people are desensitized to it, indicates this is a hoax.

How any of that is evidence that this is a hoax is beyond me.

NBC talked to the guys last night on the news. They didn’t seem convinced it was a hoax.

2

I can think of a couple of big-time hoaxes that eerily parallel this particular event.

One was an old copy of the National Lampoon with a cover photo of a gun pointed at a dog and the headline “Buy this issue or we’ll shoot the dog!”

The other was a skit on Saturday Night Live back in the 1980s where viewers called in to vote whether a lobster should live (and be treated to a fabulous night on the town) or dropped into a pot of boiling water.

IIRC, the Lampoon claimed in a later issue that sales had been disappointing, so they had to kill the dog. On Saturday Night Live, I believe the call-in vote was to save the lobster, but only by a slim margin.

3

First, I’m disappointed that I didn’t think of it.

Second, I’m surprised there’s no rabbit fricassee.

Third, I don’t know Opal.

4

I vote this dude wants the money and that’s it. Maybe he’ll eat the rabbit anyway. I suppose if people are gullible (word not in dictionary) enough to send in money, they deserve what they (don’t) get.

I raised rabbits on the farm and we regularly ate them. They are better than chicken if you ask me.
All I can say is “bon appetite”.

5

Also if you notice when you click on his Paypal counter, the Paypal page says he cannot recieve any money through them at the time. Makes you wonder if they cut him off.

6

What evidence is there that it is real?

Of course, there are several ways in which it could be considered a hoax.

  1. There is no rabbit, and no donations - the whole thing is fabricated

  2. There is a rabbit, but no donations (or not nearly as much as claimed)

  3. There are donations, but no rabbit

  4. There is a rabbit, and donations, but the guy doesn’t intend to kill the rabbit if he doesn’t get the minimum; or will kill it anyway, even if he gets it.

7

Good points.

I was taking “hoax” to mean. . .there is no bunny or he’s not really going to kill him. He’s just getting money from saps.

But, it could easily be a hoax on the media, and folks like me, just to get upset (or pleased) at the web site.

Or, just a hoax to get PETA and animal lovers into an uproar, and publish the inevitable flood of funny hate mail.

All other accounts of the site always say that PayPal isn’t letting him take donations. Perhaps it’s NEVER let him take donations.