Drones used to search for bunnies dumped in Chaddesley woods

More than 80 bunnies were found to have been abandoned in the woods on Monday night, November 11, with the RSPCA confirming the bodies of a further 23 bunnies were also discovered.

Aston Mayo was one of the people who, last night, ventured into the woodland equipped with a flashlight to try and locate as many bunnies as she could.

The 33-year-old is the founder of Shrewsbury Rabbit Rescue, one of several local animal rescues and sanctuaries, who have joined forces to find and nurse the bunnies back to health.

Ms Mayo trekked through the mud to find as many bunnies as she could (Image: Shrewsbury Rabbit Rescue) Ms Mayo and a team of seven others trekked through the mud with torches and walkie-talkies in the dark after a member of the public had already found 56 of the bunnies, which were taken in by Lucky Bunny and Friends rescue in Dudley,

She said: “We were straight down there at around 8.30pm last night and had managed to find three by 11.30pm.

“It was exhausting. I only got to sleep at 4am this morning.

"One of the rabbits we found was extremely poorly, having broken either her leg or hip, appearing to be blind and having some sort of dental disease.”

Ms Mayo said that after appealing on social media, the group have been inundated with support from volunteers who have embarked on a second search today, November 13, as they believe more bunnies are still in the woods.

She said volunteers from as far as London have joined in the search efforts and added they are using a drone to search through as much of the woodland as they can.

Ms Mayo described the incident as “awful” and has urged people to think before buying pet rabbits to avoid a situation like this ever happening again.

One of the bunnies Ms Mayo rescued, Sophie, is in an exceptionally bad way (Image: Shrewsbury Rabbit Rescue) She said: “The biggest thing is don’t buy rabbits on a whim.

“Rabbits aren’t easy pets and people need to consider everything before choosing to buy one.

“The volume of this incident will cause even more backfall on local resources and sanctuaries who are already struggling.”

West Mercia Police said they were aware of the situation and that enquiries are ongoing.

RSPCA Inspector Boris Lasserre said: “Any animal being deliberately left behind to fend for itself is a serious case of neglect, and it is increasingly shocking that so many rabbits are abandoned at the same time.

“The RSPCA is actively investigating this.”