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Dozens Of Rabbits Dumped At Huntington Beach Park

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBS) — Orange County animal care officials say they are baffled as to why someone dumped dozens of rabbits at a Huntington Beach park over the weekend.

At about dawn Sunday, someone saw 30 to 40 rabbits being turned loose in Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park at 19251 Seapoint Ave., according to Ryan Drabek, an OC Animal Care spokesman. The witness said the people dumping the bunnies took off in a pickup truck, Drabek added.

"We believe it's a legitimate report, but when our officers got out there Sunday our officers observed several rabbits, not 30 or 40," Drabek said. "Unfortunately, we were unable to capture them. When we went out with nets, which is an easier way to catch bunnies, we couldn't find any of them."

The Animal Care officers responded at about 11 a.m. or noon, so most of the rabbits had hopped away by then, Drabek said.

"It's a misdemeanor to abandon any animal for any reason," Drabek said, adding it was "negligent" to just dump the rabbits.

Park rangers have been watching for any rabbits in the area, Drabek said.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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