NYPD officers hopped to the rescue of more than 70 rabbits stuck outside in a Brooklyn lot during Monday’s blizzard, the Daily News reports.
The newspaper says officers seized 74 bunnies that had been left outside at a property in Gowanus after their owner didn't obey an order to bring them inside.
Officers were initially called to the lot at Third Avenue and Ninth Street after getting a call from a witness who saw the bunnies bounding about in the show.
The officers reportedly told the property’s owners to bring the rabbits inside and left. But they got a second call at about 7:30 p.m. from another witness who said the animals were still outside.
Officers then got a warrant to seize the bunnies, the News reports, and took them to the city’s Animal Care and Control offices.
The ASPCA told the News that the rabbits were in danger because of the blizzard.
The rabbits’ owner was not charged with any crimes because police told the News she was “reluctantly cooperative” and agreed to help round them up. It’s not clear if the animals will be returned.
Local
Animal advocates had been raising concerns about the health of the rabbits before they were seized Monday, DNAinfo reports. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office told the news website it was investigating whether the animals were victims of neglect or cruel treatment.
