Dead rabbits strung up in Marina Park
Christiana Wiens
Comox Valley Echo
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
The Comox Valley SPCA is warning Valley residents to keep their cats and animals inside at night after five dead rabbits were found hung from trees at Marina Park in Comox.
Some of the rabbits were gutted, with their intestines hanging out, while others had plastic bags over their heads as if they were suffocated.
Most of the rabbits were found in a tree and on top of the gazebo Sunday morning and cleaned up by public works staff but at least one rabbits was still in the park Monday morning - just in time for pedestrians and dog walkers discover the rabbits themselves.
"It was a pretty awful prank that was obviously in bad taste," said town public works superintendent Glenn Westendorp.
The town reported the grisly find to the RCMP.
The Comox Valley SPCA hopes someone who knows about the rabbits or who saw the events take place in the park will come forward.
"If they can do that to rabbits they can do it to other animals," said SPCA manager Tricia DeBruyne. "People should be aware and keep their cat or any other kind of animal in at night."
She says pet owners have enough to worry about with traffic and animal attacks, let alone being killed as a prank.
"It's a sick, sick thing," she said. "There's nothing out there to justify it - absolutely nothing."
No other incidents like it have been found, however, DeBruyne said there have been other cases in years past involving skinned cats, and cats injured by being forced to eat hot objects.
She said people who abuse animals usually have other issues as well and the link between animal abuse and abuse of people has been documented.
"There's usually more to it than that," she said. "If they've got it in their minds to do that than who else are they harming?"
It's not clear if they rabbits were domesticated or wild, or how much planning went into Sunday morning's discovery.
To Lynda Jones, whose dog discovered one of the rabbits Monday morning, the find was enough to turn her stomach.
"I wish we could find those kids and give them some rough community service," said Jones.
She says she's glad she made the discovery before any children saw the rabbit.
© Comox Valley Echo 2008