Dozens of domestic rabbits have been found dead, dying or in a poor state after they were abandoned in a field, triggering a police investigation.
Animal rescue volunteers were called to Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire, on Monday to help collect the animals.
Volunteers at Lucky Bunny and Friends Rescue found some of the rabbits without ears or eyes.
Volunteer Vicky Grant told the BBC: “There were so many of them we didn’t know what to do because I thought they were going to be small but they weren’t.
“We were all in our pyjamas trying to stop them from being eaten by foxes or badgers.”
The rescue group picked up 16 males and 40 females, some of them thought to be pregnant. Many more had already died or run away into nearby woods.
The volunteers have now set up a wish list for members of the public to help provide essential items for the bunnies as they focus on nurturing them back to full health.
They are also appealing for donations to help with the “foreseeable vet bill” they now face. Since then, the group said it had received 163 Amazon packages from members of the public.
“You guys are amazing, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would ever receive a donation delivery this big,” the group said in a statement.
On Monday, the group said: “This morning we received a call to say around 100 rabbits have been dumped in the woods in Chaddersly Corbet and luckily 56 were caught and secured in a lovely couple’s shed.
“We have taken in 16 males and 40 females who we suspect are pregnant and they are all in a bad way.
“We are a small rescue run from Heathers home by a small team of four of us. All of these rabbits at a minimum will need neutering/spaying and vaccinating.”
A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: ”We were made aware of a number of domestic rabbits being found on Monday evening (11 November) within Chaddesley Wood in Worcestershire.
“The rabbits which had been recovered alive have now been rehomed by a local charity. Enquiries are now on-going.”
