Public Response & Legitimacy
The website received media attention throughout the United States and in other countries. Toby was also featured on NBC Nightly News
The website made many animal rights activists upset, claiming that the owners were engaging in animal cruelty. They attempted to have the site removed; however, the company that hosted the site, Go Daddy, claimed that there was nothing illegal about the site and that "it was perfectly legal to eat a rabbit". PayPal accounts used for donations were often frozen due to complaints about the site.
There have also been questions about whether or not the site was legitimate. The owners, when asked, claimed that the site was completely serious and they would eat the rabbit. However, the nature of the website suggests it is a hoax or joke, a retelling of older jokes that threaten harm to an animal unless you buy a product (for example, National Lampoon once ran a cover with a gun aimed at a puppy, stating "Buy this magazine, or the puppy dies"). The site itself never makes it clear that it is a joke; however, "funny" and "humor" are included in the site's search keywords.
There were other similar websites in existence around the same time that threatened to eat a rabbit unless a monetary demand was met. One, Save Bernd!, copied Save Toby. It demanded a 1,000,000 euro ransom. The site claims that "Bernd is gone", but not that he was eaten. Small letters at the bottom of the page make it clear that "It's a joke".
Read more about this topic: Save Toby
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