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What were you thinking when you made the decision to raid the Bunny Magic Shelter? Money? Publicity?I don't believe you thought about the rabbits at all because now the rabbits are in far worse condition than when they were at the BUNNY MAGIC SHELTER!

The Tri County workers are doing the best job they can having had this situation thrown upon them - but they do not know anything about rabbits nor their care or how they should be housed.  Rabbits are not cats and dogs! These frail prey animals require special handling so that their backs are not broken and special care in feeding so that their delicate digestive systems do not fail, resulting in  death.

There are rumors leaking out that are not very pleasant and reflect ignorance concerning the care of the rabbits.  It would be nice if Tri County would allow a Rabbit Rescue into the shelter so that the Tri County workers could be guided and educated about the care of these intelligent, but fragile  creatures.

I saw the photos in the paper, supposedly evidence why the seizure took place.  Pictured was a lively well fed rabbit with long nails - that is not cruelty!  I saw dead rabbits in the freezer, ( Vets keep dead animals in their freezers) due to the drought the ground was too hard for Mrs. VanWie to bury them.  I saw a garage that had bunnies in cages ( again, all plump rabbits) and a lot of hay scattered round…and I saw a few full litter boxes….and a picture of 4 lionheads happily playing.  Was this truly a good reason for you to uproot 220 rabbits  from their air conditioned home and put them in a barn where 7 perished and now they are full of fleas and many are wet due to sitting in trays containing their own feces and urine.  There are Cottontails that should have been released but are living in cages terrified and frantic when  humans come near them. Cottontails by law are only supposed to be cared for by licensed rehabilitators.

Mrs. VanWie had passed an inspection from Animal Control within the last year. If there were problems at any time she should have been formally notified and given the opportunity to rectify them before the rabbits were seized.

So again I ask what was PETA's purpose? Judging by the result - and  PETA's current absence and apparent disinterest in the  care the rabbits are now receiving - it could not have been the welfare of the rabbits.