Rabbit Rescue Group Seeking Help in Animal Cruelty Case

[Guest guest]

For Immediate Release

Rabbit Rescue Group Seeking Help in Animal Cruelty Case

Rabbit Thrown From Car on Highway One

 

Contact: Margo DeMello or Erin Williams, HRS, (510) 970-7575

www.rabbit.org

 

RICHMOND, Calif. (July 24, 2003) – House Rabbit Society (HRS), a national

nonprofit organization headquartered in Richmond, is seeking information leading

to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for a terrible

act of animal cruelty that occurred this past week. While driving on Highway

One south of San Francisco, two anonymous witnesses saw what appeared to be an

animal thrown out of the window of the car ahead of them. After stopping to

investigate, the people discovered that a very small, badly hurt and terrified

black rabbit had in fact been thrown into traffic.

 

The witnesses picked the rabbit up and took her to a local shelter, where she

was given morphine for her pain. Fully expecting the rabbit to perish, the

shelter staff was shocked to see the tiny creature fighting for her life. The

shelter contacted a local rabbit rescue group called Rabbit Haven (phone

831-440-0282), which cared for the rabbit over the weekend and arranged for her

to be placed into foster care with HRS.

 

The rabbit, now named Samosa, is a very small lop-eared female, and she is

suffering from serious skin abrasions. In addition to her injuries gained from

the abuse on the freeway, she suffers from severe foot injuries likely caused

from being constricted in wire cage. She is also nearly bald, with only patches

of black fur remaining on her tiny pink body. Rabbit rescuer and HRS Executive Margo DeMello explains, “In cases of severe neglect, rabbits often

pull out their own hair due to acute psychological distress.â€

 

DeMello continues, “It is shocking that acts of cruelty such as this occur,

and yet we see time and time again tragic cases of neglect, abandonment, and

abuse. This rabbit joins so many others like her at the HRS shelter and in our

network of foster homes. Rabbits such as Rudy, the trusting, quiet rabbit whose

‘owners’ were going to use him as bait for pit bull fighting, are also in

need of loving, permanent homes. Since July is Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, we

encourage anyone wishing to adopt a rabbit or make a donation to contact our

shelter.â€

 

HRS, which works with animal shelters throughout the United States, is also

seeking donations from compassionate people for a medical fund for Samosa and

others like her. Photos of Samosa can be viewed

at http://www.rabbit.org/rabbit-center/hurt-rabbit.html.

 

If you have information that could assist the investigation, or would like to

help offset medical costs for this rabbit and others like her, please contact

HRS. In addition, the shelter is also seeking homes for Samosa and other

rabbits in your area - interested people may contact HRS at (510) 970-7575.

Donations may be sent to HRS Headquarters, 148 Broadway, Richmond, CA 94804,

attn: Samosa Fund.

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