In the dead of night of evening, a building crew working this week alongside a Santa Cruz freeway found a big rabbit near the roadway.
No, a huge rabbit.
The animal was bigger than most infants, simply stretching the size of a grown man’s torso. It weighed greater than 26 kilos.
The sumo-sized rabbit was not, nonetheless, as fast on its toes as your garden-variety bunny. The development employees and California Freeway Patrol officers had been capable of corral the rabbit — which they nicknamed ‘Bugs’ — to take it to an animal hospital; it will definitely ended up within the care of the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.
“It’s undoubtedly not a wild rabbit,” stated Amber Rowland, basic supervisor for Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. “It’s undoubtedly a domesticated rabbit. Whether or not it was cared for as a pet or saved as an agricultural animal or a novelty, it’s onerous to say. The animal was very grumpy about dealing with.”
Apparently, she stated the rabbit’s measurement isn’t unusual for its breed, a Flemish big, that are a few of the largest rabbits on the planet and are sometimes saved as pets.
In an preliminary analysis, shelter workers stated they discovered the rabbit had some puncture wounds and gaps within the fur close to its neck — proof that it had in all probability been attacked by some form of predator, Rowland stated. However she stated the animal is now recovering and is residing at a companion facility targeted on “rabbit specialty placement.” She declined to disclose the precise location.
Rowland stated the rabbit’s proprietor ought to contact the shelter, and that their staff stays hopeful that “a caring household” will attain out.
“We’re hoping that an proprietor will come ahead, however it’s onerous to say,” she stated. “Shelters obtain animals beneath completely different circumstances on a regular basis. Generally these are unintended” — as when an animal escapes — however “generally animals get deserted by house owners who don’t wish to deal with them anymore.”
After a number of days with the rabbit on maintain for the proprietor, the shelter will work to discover a everlasting residence for the rabbit whether it is wholesome sufficient for adoption, Rowland stated.
