What to Know
- Pioneer Canal Park in Boynton Beach, known to locals as Bunny Park, has seen an increase in the number of fluffy animals recently.
- While residents love having them around, recent incidents had them worried for their safety.
- Residents called East Coast Rabbit Rescue, who has spent the last two weeks gathering nearly three dozen bunnies to help give them care.
An animal rescue group is working to protect dozens of bunny rabbits that have taken over a Palm Beach County park in recent years – after concerned residents said some were found killed or suffering from injuries recently.
Pioneer Canal Park in Boynton Beach, known to locals as Bunny Park, has seen an increase in the number of fluffy animals in the area recently. While residents love having them around, recent incidents had them worried for their safety.
“I’m tired of seeing them get hurt," Jana Sandler told NBC affiliate WPTV. "Almost every day, I find a dead bunny.”
Those living near the park say these are not wild rabbits – instead, domesticated animals who were once pets or meant to live as such, so they do not survive well in the wild.
Residents called East Coast Rabbit Rescue, who has spent the last two weeks gathering nearly three dozen bunnies to help give them care.
“We want the neighborhood to understand that what we’re doing is helping the bunnies and saving their lives basically," said Luz Pereira from ECRR. “They’re covered in bite wounds, they’re covered in abscesses. They have fleas, ticks, they have everything.”
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Pereira added that the mission to save all the bunnies could take months as the ones who have not been found continue to multiple. Residents just want the bunnies to be safe and healthy.
“Everyone is sorry to see them go, most of all me. I love them more than my life. But I love them to save them," Sandler said.