65 rabbits rounded up after animals dumped at Smith Park in Middletown
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A total of 65 rabbits are being sheltered, fostered and cared for after a woman abandoned dozens of them in a Middletown Park over the weekend, officials said.
Krista Snyder with Joseph s Legacy, a Butler County animal rescue, said about 35 of the rabbits were found in the park and another 30 or so were surrendered from the woman s home.
The woman who previously owned the rabbits has been charged with 35 counts animal abandonment, Middletown police reported.
According to a police report, the woman agreed to surrender her rabbits after police showed up at her Tytus Avenue home Saturday.
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Rescuers believe a Middletown woman could have dumped up to 100 rabbits at a park early Saturday morning. After hours of searching, 33 were caught, treated and placed in foster care.
But without knowing how many rabbits were dumped, the search continued into Saturday evening with plans to begin again Sunday morning looking for the abandoned bunnies.
It s a tragedy, said Lisa Owney, one of the volunteers. She woke up shocked to see multiple texts about domesticated rabbits running around Smith Park. She immediately drove over to the park at 8 a.m. and remained throughout the evening. I just want all the bunnies to be okay. I m praying, Owney said.