(KRON) — Dozens of rabbits were rescued from a Petaluma backyard breeding mill after the owner was evicted from a property and abandoned the bunnies, according to animal rescuers.
Mill Valley-based SaveABunny received a call from a concerned citizen on September 15 who reported more than 30 rabbits had been abandoned in Petaluma and were in need of urgent care.
“The breeder of these purebred Lionhead rabbits had been selling them on Craigslist and Nextdoor for questionable purposes, and had left them behind when evicted weeks earlier,” the nonprofit rescue group wrote on GoFundMe.
Lionheads are a domestic breed of rabbits that grow cute fluffy fur around their heads, like a lion’s mane.
SaveABunny mobilized a team that found the rabbits inside dirty cages and “heart-wrenching conditions” on the property.
“Huddled together for warmth and safety were momma bunnies and their babies, in addition to dozens of bunnies suffering from severe neglect. It is a miracle that these bunnies survived long enough to be rescued,” SaveABunny wrote.
“Every bunny was dangerously malnourished, with some teetering on the edge of death,” rescuers wrote. Thirty-one rabbits were given emergency veterinary care and nutrition. A baby rabbits and an adult male, named Cookie, died in the days after the rescue operation, SaveABunny said.
Cookie was the father of four baby lionhead bunnies, named S’more, Fortune, Keebler, and Tim Tam. Many of the rabbits are in need of donations for care, foster homes, and forever homes.
“We really could use foster help for a month or two so they can experience what freedom and kindness feel like. Besides, they’re adorable!” SaveABunny’s GoFundMe page writes.
The nonprofit said, over the past two decades, it has rescued thousands of rabbits and worked with animal shelters to give neglected or abused animals a second chance for a happy life. Anyone who is interested in volunteering, fostering, or adopting a rabbit can go to saveabunny.org.
