CENTERVILLE – Three frostbitten, sick and skinny rabbits that were rescued by a Barnstable Animal Control officer in January are still recovering.
The rabbits were brought to the MSPCA-Cape Cod for recovery.
The rabbits, now named “Tempeh,” “Jackfruit” and “Seitan,” were found cowering under a parked car—and it was obvious that they had been intentionally abandoned.
“The fact that they were all huddled together in the same place points to them being dropped there vs. having escaped from a home,” said Director of the MSPCA-Cape Cod Animal Care and Adoption Center Mary Sarah Fairweather.
Fairweather says the rabbits were underweight by about two pounds each, which means they would not have survived long outside in the freezing winter temperatures. Moreover, all three were suffering from frostbite, conjunctivitis and hair loss.
One of the rabbits, Tempeh, required surgery to fix an “entropion” lid to his eye. The condition, a malformation of the eyelids that rabbits can sometimes be born with, would ultimately lead to blindness if not treated. Tempeh underwent the surgery at the MSPCA’s Nevins Farm location earlier this week.
“We’re so lucky that they were brought to us in time because if they didn’t die from exposure they could have easily succumbed to their illnesses,” said Fairweather.
“Now that they’ve put on a bit of weight their futures look much brighter.”
According to Fairweather, now that the rabbits are feeling better, their personalities have also begun to shine.
“They have become much more spirited and far more social—so much so that they just really enjoy the attention our staff and volunteers have lavished upon them,” she said.
Fairweather said that animal abandonment, while rare, does happen and it is a distressing part of working in the animal protection field.
“It’s heartbreaking to think these animals—already sick and underweight—had to endure the cold all while vulnerable to cars, other animals and the myriad other hazards awaiting them outside,” said Fairweather.
“We are an open admissions shelter and we are always open to animals in need—it is never appropriate, or necessary, to abandon pets outside.”
Anybody interested in adopting can email [email protected] for more information about the rabbits and the adoption process.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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