Surveillance cameras and an alarm system have been set up at the rabbit sanctuary in Coombs on Vancouver Island after someone broke into the compound and stomped 20 of the animals to death.
Susan Vickery, director of the sanctuary where most of the former University of Victoria rabbits are living, said she was so shocked at the brutal attack on the rabbits last month that she did not report the break-in until she had additional security in place.
“I was just numb and I didn’t want any kind of attention or publicity that could put these animals at greater risk,” said Vickery, who has now reported the attack to the provincial government.
The province remains officially responsible for the feral rabbits from the university, as once former pet rabbits are abandoned they are designated as wildlife, meaning they can only be sent to approved sanctuaries.
In addition to the donation of about $700 in security equipment, which is being installed by volunteers, a supporter is moving into an adjacent cottage and will be watching for any further problems, said Vickery, who is hoping someone will come forward with information about the attack.
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“These kinds of violent acts are about rage and frustration,” said Vickery, who worries that someone with the capacity to crush small, helpless animals is at large.
When Vickery found the bodies she looked for any sign the rabbits could have been killed by an animal, but all evidence points to a human. Wire fences surrounding individual pens were dented where someone climbed over them, cages had been ripped open and bodies were splayed on the grass where they had been stomped.
“It was obvious someone had crushed them with a foot. Animals can’t look like that any other way,” she said.
“The little ones who didn’t escape were chased into the corners of the barn and crushed. The ones that hid under a carrier top were smashed down in the carrier.”
Miraculously, a baby goose, in a pen with companion rabbits, survived and was found crouching in a corner of the smashed cage, but most of his companions were squashed.
More than 900 rabbits were removed from the UVic campus and taken to sanctuaries, with about 600 going to Coombs. Another 100 were killed before the relocation program started.
Since April 1, the campus has been rabbit-free and any animals abandoned at the university will be euthanized.
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