The humane investigations team at the Cleveland Animal Protective League was recently alerted about a home that had 92 rabbits living in over-crowded and filthy outdoor rabbit hutches. When they arrived on the scene, they found rabbits in enclosures with little-or-no ventilation and no food or water. In fact, their food and water bowls were full of urine and feces, as were the rest of the enclosures. Hutches that are meant to house two to four rabbits had between 18 and 25 rabbits in them. The rabbits were emaciated and several were injured as a result of their living conditions. All of the rabbits were brought to safety at the Cleveland APL where they were immediately given food, water, and necessary medical care. They were ravenous. Many needed foster care to recover from the malnutrition that was a result of their poor care and living environment.
While some are still regaining their health, over 50 of these bunnies are now available for adoption.“We’re proud of the work our humane investigators do to remove animals from cruel and neglectful situations,” said Sharon Harvey, President and CEO of the Cleveland APL. “They are confronted with the reality of animal cruelty on a daily basis and it’s a very challenging job. The reward, though, is the knowledge that these animals now have a chance to live a wonderful life. We need adopters to help make that happen; rabbits make great family pets and have wonderful personalities. As a special incentive, our rabbit adoption fee is reduced to only $10 for the entire month of October.” Our humane investigations team works diligently to end animal cruelty and neglect through education, investigation, and prosecution of offenders. Our officers are empowered to enforce the State of Ohio animal protection laws (ORC 959) within the jurisdiction of Cuyahoga County and Cleveland. All rabbits are spayed or neutered, come with helpful species-specific animal care information, and a free initial veterinary exam.
All adoptable animals can be seen at www.ClevelandAPL.org. Call (216) 771- 4616, ext. 0 if you have any questions about any of the animals or about adoptions.
