Richmond SPCA helping bunnies rescued from Tennessee heal, find loving homes

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has some new floppy-eared residents up for adoption following a large out-of-state rescue.

The Humane Society of the United States released an emotional video on Wednesday of a Tennessee man with over a hundred bunnies in poor condition. He reached out to the Humane Society for help and, alongside several other shelters , the Richmond SPCA stepped in to nurse them back to health.

Beatrix, Cutesy, Ribbon and the only male rabbit, Thumper, are making Richmond their new home. Three of the rabbits are over a year old and one is just under.

Video showed more than a hundred bunnies hoarded in an unclean and overcrowded home in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

But the Humane Society praised the former owner for asking for help, with officials saying they felt just as much responsibility to help him as they did the animals.

(Video: Humane Society of the United States)

“[The owner] willingly did surrender the pets to the Humane Society of the United States knowing that the situation they were in was not good for them, nor the pets in their care,” said Richmond SPCA Mission Department assistant manager Nicole Harrig.

Following the rescue, the Humane Society then reached out to the Richmond SPCA.

“We jumped on the opportunity to help them out, because we had the resources to do it,” Harrig said.

So, as Harrig said, the Richmond SPCA jumped — or “hopped,” as it were — into action.

A Humane Society volunteer from the area drove all the way to Tennessee, picked up the bunnies and brought them back to Richmond.

Cutesy and Ribbon got spayed Wednesday and weren’t exactly camera-ready after the anesthesia — but Thumper and Beatrix were little balls of energy, waiting for their operations Thursday.

“Rabbits multiply very quickly especially when they’re not altered — and that’s what happened in this situation,” Harrig said.

If you’re interested in adopting, you can find all the rabbits’ information on the Richmond SPCA’s website . But these bunnies might be a little shyer at first than your usual rescue.

“Because of their hoarding situation, they’ve had less interaction with humans and strangers,” Harrig said.

They still need a couple days before they’re ready for adoption after their operations — but the perfect owner will be patient and loving.

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