Bunnies stolen from Surrey SPCA
11/17/08 Sometime during the evening of Sunday, November 16th or the early morning hours of the 17th, eight bunnies were stolen from the Surrey SPCA's "Bunny Barn" near the entrance of 152nd Street. Two are on medication. A vehicle had broken through the gate at the road and person/s made their way through the unlocked fence area onto the Animal Learning Centre property breaking into the barn. An "Open House" had taken place on Sunday afternoon, and it's possible somebody who attended may be involved or that somebody might have information that would help catch the culprits. It appears as though whoever's responsible knew what they were doing. Two lop-eared rabbits were taken in May and haven't been found.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the abducted rabbits is asked to call the Surrey SPCA at 604-597-5655, the Animal Learning Centre at 604-599-7209 or the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502. The rabbit rescue network just wants to know that the bunnies are safe and unharmed. You can contact the Rabbit Advocacy Group of BC at rabbitadbc@shaw.ca
Comment: The individuals responsible for removing the rabbits from the SPCA may have understandably considered them unsafe with this agency and felt they needed rescuing. Any news is appreciated.
Update: The rabbits have not been found.
Bunnies taken from Surrey SPCA
- November 19, 2008 Surrey North Delta Leader
Eight bunnies were stolen from the Surrey SPCA Sunday night, the second time in six months rabbit thieves have hit the local animal shelter. The culprit(s) busted through the door of the SPCA's newly constructed "Bunny Barn" – located near the entrance to the facility on 152 Street – and made off with Pumpkin, Chaucer, Rocket, Leo, Runt, Coal, Baya and Charles.
SPCA staff are particularly concerned about Pumpkin, a lionhead rabbit, which is recovering from an ear infection and had been on medication.
The Surrey shelter had recently spent more than $2,000 installing a proper heating system in the rabbit habitats to make the animals more comfortable.
In addition, the SPCA points out, the rabbits were being cared for by volunteers acquainted with the specific social, emotional and physical needs of rabbits.
"Sometimes, people think they are doing the animals a favour by stealing them from a shelter," said acting branch manager Ryan Voutilainen in a news release. "But what these people don't get is that we give them excellent care while they are with us, and we carefully screen adoption applicants so that care continues for the rest of the animals' lives."
This is the second time in six months that bunnies have been taken from the Surrey branch. A pair of adult lop-eared rabbits was stolen in late May.
Voutilainen is appealing to whomever took the eight bunnies on Sunday night to return the animals healthy and unharmed, with no questions asked. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the BC SPCA's Surrey Branch at 604-597-5655.
Pictures of the eight bunnies http://www.spca.bc.ca/media/SurreyBunniesStolen_Nov182008_Press.asp (link no longer active)
Some related SPCA rabbit links: Stick, not carrot, for SPCA rabbits
Dozens of show rabbits stolen from Georgian Bluffs-area barn
The Canadian Press - June 1, 2009
CHATSWORTH, Ont. — Police in Grey County are looking for anyone who may suddenly have 77 new rabbits.
Provincial police say someone went into a barn in the Georgian Bluffs area this weekend and stole 77 show rabbits, along with four bags of feed and nine transport cages.
The incident is very similar to two others that police were investigating from January. In those cases someone went into the same barn and took 13 show rabbits, mostly of the California breed, in two thefts over 10 days.
In all of the incidents there was no sign of forced entry into the barn and no motive is known. The total value of the rabbits in all of the thefts is estimated at about $1,500.