Deputy rescues baby rabbits tied in bag, thrown out of car

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) - A Michigan sheriff’s deputy rescued a bag full of baby rabbits after they were thrown from a car and left to die.

Macomb County Sheriff’s Deputy Taylor Dibble was dispatched Monday after a concerned citizen called around 7 p.m. to report they saw a person throw “something suspicious” out of a car window in their neighborhood.

The suspicious item turned out to be a plastic bag full of baby rabbits. Dibble says the bag had been tied with multiple knots and had an airtight seal.

“I see a little bunny’s head poked out. Its little nose is twitching. It’s suctioned around this guy’s neck – can’t breathe, no oxygen. I rip out my key [and] tear into the bag to get these bunnies out. There’s eight of them in there,” she said.

Sadly, one of the rabbits died, but the others are recovering at the Detroit Animal Welfare Group, a wildlife rehabilitation center located in Romeo.

Deputy Taylor Dibble saved several baby rabbits from a plastic bag tied with multiple knots... — Deputy Taylor Dibble saved several baby rabbits from a plastic bag tied with multiple knots that someone threw out of a car window.(Source: Macomb County Sheriff's Office, WXYZ via CNN)

“They were left there to suffocate or starve and die. That’s very, very sad. They were very hypothermic and dehydrated when we received them,” said Kelly LaBonty, the director of the center.

LaBonty says the rabbits were 12 to 14 days old and would have been unable to survive on their own.

“So, they were put in an incubator to keep warm, and we’re feeding them. We will keep them until they’re almost 1 month old, and then, they’ll be ready for release,” LaBonty said.

Dibble is glad she could help, calling it the best part of her job.

“Being able to take this hopeless call, really, and finding these super, super small babies. Giving them to this facility and getting hope back from it, it’s everything,” she said.

Deputies say the suspect was a younger to middle-aged white male driving a small, red Chevrolet car. Dibble says the witness reported seeing the suspect in the area previously. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.

Although the suspect’s motives are unknown, LaBonty says anyone dealing with unwanted wildlife on their property should call a local wildlife rehabilitator.