"A Bunch of Bunnies Abandoned in Marina " by Animal Blog

Animal Blog

A Bunch of Bunnies Abandoned in Marina

January 18, 2012

A call was made to Monterey County Animal Services by an anonymous good Samaritan who noticed a large number of rabbits huddling or aimlessly wandering about in a field off of Lapiz Road, near the Marina dump on January 8th.

The rabbits, ranging from 3 months to 2-years-old, took nearly three hours to capture by employees of both MCAS and the SPCA of Monterey County. The group consisted of several breeds, including chocolate point Californian, classic white New Zealand, and some variations of agouti (brown) fur.

While the capture process was far from effortless, it became apparent that the rabbits were somewhat domesticated and more accustomed to human beings than wild rabbits would have been. No fewer than 72 rabbits were rescued in the course of the afternoon, making it the largest animal rescue Monterey County has faced in more than three years.

“They were definitely owned by someone previously,” says Lisa Redmond, the volunteer coordinator for AFRP’s Rescue Rabbits Rock program, “Everyone is so shocked at how friendly and cuddly they are!”

It is believed that the perpetrator was not a Monterey County resident, since abandonment cases are primarily committed across county lines in order to decrease risk of identification.

Local, nonprofit Animal Friends Rescue Project is currently helping MCAS to care for the rescued rabbits which are being temporarily housed in makeshift pens converted from horse stalls at the Monterey County Animal Shelter.

The generous veterinarians of Monterey Avian and Exotic Clinic have agreed to perform a free 2-day “spayathon” this weekend, and several animal shelters, including the House Rabbit Society, SaveABunny, Harvest Home, and Rabbit Ears, have agreed to transport about a quarter of the rabbits to their own facilities.

MCAS can only properly care for six rabbits at a time, leaving nearly 50 still in need of medical attention and supplies. The AFRP’s Rescue Rabbits Rock program is urgently seeking assistance with foster homes, adoptive families, and donations to help alleviate the situation.

In the Cooper Molera Adobe in Monterey (right next to Trader Joes and Peets) there is a wonderful unused hutch and coop area where there used to be chickens and if I am not mistaken, a few rabbits although I could be wrong. Its chicken wire and wood is still completely intact and it is absolutely accessible for viewing from the courtyard during open hours of the Cooper Molera Adobe. It's possible that some of these rabbits could find a home at the Cooper Molera Adobe if the owner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, would agree to take on and care for some of these unappreciated rabbits found abandoned. Undoubtedly children and adults would find this to be a joyful experience to once again see small animals when they visit the Cooper Molera Adobe. To contact the National Trust and suggest that the Cooper Molera Adobe coop and hutch area be used to house some of the recently abandoned rabbits, e-mail the National Trust at info@nthp.org -- to help the rabbits yourself, contact the Animal Friends Rescue Project at 333-1956 or for the Monterey County Animal Shelter, go here http://www.mtyhd.org/manager/animalSearch/ and select "other" and click the appropriate links to look for bunnies. hope this helps!