Seven domestic rabbits, including a mum, dad and their 12-week-old babies, were rescued by The Mayhew Animal Home last week after being callously thrown out of the boot of a car and left to fend for themselves.

The beautiful bunnies were alerted to the attention of The Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officers after they received a call from two dog walkers who witnessed the cruel scene unfold from afar in Hampstead Heath.

The Mayhew in Kensal Rise was informed that a woman was spotted pulling up onto the Heath in her car, where she began to throw the seven rabbits one by one from the boot of her car and onto the heath.

All seven rabbits were in good health when they arrived at The Mayhew, but were in shock.

The rabbits, including one female and four male babies, are believed to be domesticated due to their sweet and easy to handle nature, but had not been neutered.

The Mayhew’s Vet Team promptly attended to the rabbits when they arrived, giving them check-ups and the Cattery Team settled them into large cages in a warm room with plenty of food, water and space to hop about.

'To dump rabbits like rubbish is a terrible act'

The poor rabbit family were just thrown from the boot of a car
The poor rabbit family were just thrown from the boot of a car

Mayhew staff have since named the male rabbits after the recent X-Files, naming the dad Mulder and the four boys Dana, X-Files, Scully and Fox, while the females were given daintier names, with the mum named Fifi Trixibell and the girl Toni Collette.

Though some of the rabbits are a little shy, they are said to all be kind-natured and calm, and have been enjoying a good nibble on straw and vegetables.

The rabbits will continue to be cared for by The Mayhew until they have been neutered and vaccinated, and then they will be taken to a rabbit shelter where they will be rehomed.

Animal Welfare Manager at The Mayhew Animal Home, Zoe Edwards, said: “To dump rabbits like rubbish is a terrible act. We’re so glad that the rabbits were spotted in time and weren’t left to fend for themselves on Hampstead Heath for too long.

"Being what appears to be domesticated rabbits, it’s worrying to think what could have happened to them if they’d been abandoned there for much longer.

“Thankfully the rabbits appear to be in good health, but are just in a little shock of course. We’ve popped them in cages with plenty of food, water and bedding to make them warm and cosy, and set them up with outside runs so they can really settle in and feel comfortable.

“This is another case of pets not being neutered. The rabbits had the five babies and their owner probably couldn’t cope. We offer low cost neutering for rabbits, as well as cats and dogs, so there is no excuse not to get pets neutered.”

Thankfully two dog walkers notified Mayhew Animal Home of the abandoned rabbits
Thankfully two dog walkers notified Mayhew Animal Home of the abandoned rabbits

The Mayhew Animal Home’s animal welfare officers rescue hundreds of abandoned and neglected animals every year. You can find out more about the work they do on their website .

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Though The Mayhew now only rehomes cats and dogs, they still rescue all animals and have even taken in foxes, snakes, tortoise, ferrets and parrots in the past.