Posted August 8, 2012 by Rachelle Owen
Update: On August 20, Carole Van Wie, the operator of Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue, Inc., was charged with 13 counts of cruelty to animals. The charges follow an August 8 raid on the facility—prompted by a PETA complaint—in which law-enforcement officers seized 222 rabbits. Officials reportedly had to don masks to rescue the flea-infested and sick rabbits from up to 4 inches of feces and urine. Investigators apparently found one rabbit dead in a cage and others denied food or water. According to news sources, seven of the rabbits rescued that day could not be saved.
Good news for bunnies! Today, 200 rabbits are being removed by Calvert County, Maryland, officials from a sham “sanctuary,” Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue, Inc., in Lusby. The seizure was prompted by evidence gathered by PETA of chronic—and sometimes fatal—neglect of animals at the “rescue” following a whistleblower’s tip-off.
Many neglected rabbits’ nails were overgrown. Some caught on wire cage bottoms while others curled dangerously back toward the animals’ sensitive feet.
Disgusting Filth, Disease, and Death
PETA submitted evidence and a detailed complaint to Calvert County Animal Control and State’s Attorney Laura Martin, who has opened a criminal investigation of Bunny Magic President Carole Van Wie. We are grateful to officials for pursuing this case with the seriousness that it deserves and to PETA Investigations & Rescue Fund donors for providing the resources needed to follow up on the whistleblower’s tip.
PETA found that Bunny Magic consisted of little more than Van Wie’s garage, which reeked of ammonia, and a dark shed that was overrun with rodents. It had no paid help to care for its more than 200 rabbits and other animals.
Van Wie deprived rabbits of needed veterinary care and left contagious animals in contact with others, risking the spread of disease. Photographs show that Bunny Magic was little more than a hoarding facility, amassing far more animals than it could properly care for.
Dead rabbits crammed into a freezer.
Scores of rabbits kept in cramped, stacked cages.
Rabbits (who are fastidiously clean animals) unable to escape from their own feces, which were allowed to accumulate for days.
One neglected rabbit, Rockette, suffered with a severely twisted neck, struggling to stand up on her own. She was denied nursing and veterinary care and left to languish and defecate on herself until she finally died. Another rabbit, named George, who had a months-long respiratory infection that filled his throat with pus, was rescued from Bunny Magic before PETA met with officials but could not be saved. A veterinarian recommended that George be put out of his misery.
What You Can Do
The rabbits are being rescued only because a courageous whistleblower reported how horrified (s)he was at Bunny Magic, reminding us that we should never be silent when animals are in trouble.
Please be sure, before adopting any animals, that you’re ready to make a lifetime commitment to caring for them. Beware of hoarders pretending to operate so-called “no-kill” rescues or sanctuaries who promise to care for unwanted animals but instead will only subject them to prolonged suffering and a prolonged, miserable death. If you take an animal to a shelter, make sure it’s operated responsibly.
peta2 Street Team Coordinator + lover of vegan food, cats, animal rights, Dawson's Creek, and Harry Potter.
Hello! My name is Nina, and I am a musician-in-training, and I play 7 instruments. I am a liberal, an LGBT activist, avid reader, composer, singer, and poi spinner. I am vegan, and a strong supporter of animal rights.
Born and raised in Mexico. I love vegan food and animals!
I was born in Canada and love peta2. I table every month and meet new people:older and younger. I love music and play the recorder. I'm a 6 year spelling bee champion. Again I love peta2!
I'm tall, I love sewing, fashion and the environment, also I'm vegetarian (wannabe vegan.) Obviously, I love animals! :)
Jersey girl now I'm all country.
313 days ago
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That reminded me of a lionhead bunny we adopted a year ago. Her ex-ex owner didn’t want her anymore and gave her to a co-worker, but that co-worker doesn’t know how to take care of rabbits since she only had cats in her life. So she asked my sister and of course, we said yes even if we already have two rabbits at home.
When Momo (the lionhead bun) arrived in our home, we noticed that her nails were pretty much the same lenght as in the photo above, she was given tostitos for food;moreover, her owner was giving her ritalin (a medecine for humans, supposed to deal with hyperactivity..) so her urine was blue~dark green instead of yellow.
She’s okay now, super spoiled and happily running in the house, sometimes running in our yard
314 days ago
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Wow this is up the street from me. I heard about her but thought she was helping not hurting those poor bunnies.I know people that have taken their rabbits there.
314 days ago
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The extent to which humans can stoop for their selfish needs!
314 days ago
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Omg. This is so messed up. Why would people wanna do this? Rabbits are the cutest thing ever, this makes me wanna tear up.
314 days ago
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You wouldn’t wanna live in a bathtub, would you?
314 days ago
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This is not how a dog should be living…:(
314 days ago
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i hate when people say they are vegetarian and eat fish, my opinion is if it has a digestive system or face it shhouldnt be eaten
314 days ago
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i first became vegetarian when i was 12 and 8 years later it was the best decision of my life. i watched i tv show on at that time and it showed what they do to animals and how they go about killing them. i’ve always been an animal loving person and i always will be. i am started to become a vegan, which is what i’ve wanted to be for a while, it’s very hard when you live with meat eaters and they cook it in front of you, i’ve stuck ‘peta’ signs around the house to get my message through. i will always have a voice for animals and hopefully the cruelty will stop soon!
315 days ago
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I really liked nestea too): they eat poop for breakfast):
315 days ago
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Ice tea is my favorite drink, but it’s time to give it up for these cuties!
315 days ago
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I Have a dream that one day people will wake up and realize they aren’t as above everything as they think they are.
I have a dream that one day people will stop gorging themselves in cruelty and justifying it because it’s “normal”.
I have a dream that one day people will stop taking animals in like they care and then abusing them like they’re nothing.
I have a dream that one day people will wake up and realize that a change is desperately needed.
I have a dream that one day the world will be Vegan.
315 days ago
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Sadly I have some jerk-ish neighbors; I don’t think they’d be up for me chalking their driveway. But never fear, I’ll chalk mine
315 days ago
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These images are horrifying. I’m glad so many of them were able to be rescued.