A total of 65 rabbits are being sheltered, fostered and cared for after a woman abandoned dozens of them in a Middletown Park over the weekend, officials said.
Krista Snyder with Joseph's Legacy, a Butler County animal rescue, said about 35 of the rabbits were found in the park and another 30 or so were surrendered from the woman's home.
The woman who previously owned the rabbits has been charged with 35 counts animal abandonment, Middletown police reported.
According to a police report, the woman agreed to surrender her rabbits after police showed up at her Tytus Avenue home Saturday.
Officers said her basement was covered in hay, rabbit food and other leavings related to the animals.
Police said the woman admitted to leaving some of the animals at the park "so she knew where they were and so she could take care of them."
"I honestly think she just got a few rabbits and couldn't tell if they were male and female," Snyder said. "From my understanding, they can reproduce really quickly."
Snyder said a person with four rabbits could end up with more than 30 in just a few months if they are not managed properly or spayed and neutered.
"Rabbit gestation lasts 28-31 days ... Mother rabbits can be impregnated again within minutes of giving birth," Miami University lecturer Dana Krempels wrote in a 2006 paper. "This means that mama could, hypothetically, have one litter per month if she is constantly with a male rabbit. A single female rabbit can have 1-14 babies per litter."
Snyder said, due to this, most people who find themselves overwhelmed with rabbits had no ill intent when they got themselves in that situation.
Snyder explained these rabbits were domesticated and would not have made it if the rescue efforts had not taken place over the weekend.
"They don't know how to survive on their own," Synder said. "They have no defense. They have no way to protect themselves."
She said Smith Park in Middletown is also home to managed cat colony.
"A cat doesn't need to be hungry to go after a rabbit," Synder said.
She said she believes the former owner dumped the rabbits at the park around midnight Friday. Rescuers were on the scene trying to capture the rabbits by 8 a.m. the next morning, but even in those eight hours some of the rabbits were taken by predators.
Snyder said the woman still has some rabbits – it is unclear how many – but is working with the different shelters and organizations to prevent this from happening again.
As of Monday, the 65 rabbits are being cared for by a number of different rescues and fostered by experienced rabbit owners.
Joseph's Legacy, the Monroe Family Pet Hospital, HART Cincinnati, Myles Ahead, Pampered Pets, Trippin' Trappers, Nature Nurse's and KKM Vet Clinic have all stepped up to help, Synder said.
She said about 200 people have been directly involved with this rescue operation.
"We really needed the community and they showed up," Snyder said.
She said the next step is getting the animals spayed and neutered, which costs about $100 per rabbit.
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