Rabbit rescued from river with rope, 5-pound weight tied around its neck

A juvenile will face animal cruelty charges after a pet rabbit was found in a New Hampshire river with a rope tied around its neck and a 5-pound weight tied to the other end, acting as an anchor.

Mike Lothrop and Michael Eaton were kayaking in the Lamprey River on Sunday when they came across the 2-year-old female rabbit near a bridge, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. Lothrop pulled the rabbit from the water and used a pocket knife to remove the rope from its neck. He said the rope was just long enough that the rabbit was able to keep its head above water to avoid drowning.

“What really kind of bothered me the most is that with abuse of an animal like that, there’s oftentimes some deeper things going on,” Lothrop said of the person who did it.

It’s unclear whether the rabbit was dropped from the bridge or thrown into the water from the edge. The rabbit was handed over to the Raymond Police Department who took it to the Candray Pet Care Center where it was treated for water aspiration.

Police said the rabbit was “alive and well” on Tuesday.

Lt. Chad Shevlin said police received information leading them to the family that owned the rabbit. The animal will not returned to them and the juvenile will be charged with animal cruelty. Police also plan to contact the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-rabbit-rescued-from-river-rope-5-pound-weight-around-neck-20190710-w5reyvgamza3jdqf7pfs7ckz7i-story.html