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People have been dropping the furry creatures on roadways, in parks and near school grounds on Long Island's South Shore with increasing regularity in recent months, animal control experts said.
Earlier this month, a man was seen dumping 20 rabbits in a box at a train station and driving away, said Nancy Schreiber, a Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group volunteer.
"It sounds like someone is raising rabbits and trying to get out of the business," said Gerry McBride, who handles criminal complaints for the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The SPCA is trying to figure out who is responsible for dumping the cuddly critters, and the Rabbit Rescue Group is offering a $5,000 reward.
The rabbits often can't fend for themselves in the wild and end up starving to death or being killed by raccoons or diseases.
Many of the rabbits found by the rescue group have been infested with fleas or ticks. They've been treated, fed, cleaned and put up for adoption.
[Associated Press]
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