The incident happened at Wheatfield Way, Langshott Estate on Sunday 18^th October at around 3 pm and was witnessed by a member of the public who, at first, thought that the bag contained rubbish.  However on hitting the verge, the bag moved and to the horror of the man who witnessed it, a terrified white rabbit ran out into the middle of the road where it sat frozen with fear.  Luckily, the rabbit was quickly picked-up from the road by its rescuer.

The witness, who does not wish to be named, said: “An old two-door, metallic aqua-blue Nissan Micra, with a 54 number plate pulled-up, a woman got out and went to the boot and took out a white plastic bag, threw it to the grass verge, got back in her car and drove off.  It was such a shock when the rabbit jumped out of the bag and ran into the road – it was a heartless thing to do.   Luckily I was able to rescue it before it got run over.  Then to my astonishment, the woman drove back and I pointed to the rabbit in my arms, but obviously she couldn’t have cared less.”

The young ‘Lionhead’ rabbit is now being cared for by Animal Protection Trust.  Jacqueline Ward-Reel, chairman and co-ordinator, said: “This was a wanton act of cruelty. It would have been a terrifying experience and had the rabbit not been rescued so quickly, it would certainly have been killed on the road.  Luckily the poor little rabbit, which the vet has estimated to be under six months old, escaped injury and is now in the care of Animal Protection Trust.  If anyone has any further information about this awful incident which we can pass on to the RSPCA, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

Animal Protection Trust is a registered charity, formed in 1984.  All the work carried out by the Trust is voluntary – no-one is paid.  Volunteers come from all walks of life but have one thing in common – the desire to help animals in need.   The charity does not charge for its services, or its animals and continues to be supported by public donations.  If you would like to support Animal Protection Trust, please write to: Animal Protection Trust, Coldlands Farm, Haroldslea, Horley, Surrey RH6 9PJ.  For further information, including animals needing homes, please visit the website: www.animalprotectiontrust.org.uk, or telephone 01293 782356.

2^nd November 2015                                                        

How could I say No.  We had a spare hutch having lost our 13 year old bunny a few months earlier.  I thought it could stay there until I could make arrangements to take it to a Rabbit Rescue such as Bobtails or Animal Lifeline where it would get a good chance of being re-homed.

My husband offered to go and collect this rabbit, while I got the hutch prepared.  On his journey back he was deciding on names that could be easily changed from a male to a female one – Henry/Henrietta, Charles/Charlotte……

On his return I said there is no way that we could keep it if it was female as a girl bunny would upset our other 5 neutered male bunnies.  I checked and it was a female and with much pleading from my husband we now have 6 bunnies again!

Much to my surprise, my resident bunnies have taken no interest in her – perhaps she is not their type or pretty enough………..What do you think of Henrietta??

Gill Osborne

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Rabbits in the wild have unlimited access to open spaces to exercise and run around. They live in warrens and spend most of the day underground in almost complete darkness. The warren has many holes leading into it where rabbits can escape when they feel threatened.

The closer your rabbit is to eating and living like a natural rabbit, the happier and healthier he will be and more rewarding for you.