Forty-seven rabbits were found and rescued from an extended stay hotel located in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, recently.
“Animal control says a woman was living there with her pets. The unidentified hotel stopped providing room cleaning services in March of last year because of COVID-19,” Fox 59 reported.
The rabbits were discovered over the weekend.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Chicago-based One Tail at a Time animal rescue said, “When I started a dog rescue in 2008, I don’t think ‘hey, there are 40+ rabbits in a hotel room, can you help?’ was ever a question I was going to be ready for.”
“But here we are. 10 rabbits richer and with some invaluable lessons. Rabbits, reproduce just like they say they do. So well meaning people can end up in a really scary mess in a really short amount of time. We’re not here to judge, but we are here to help,” the post continued:
The Red Door Animal Shelter of Chicago eventually convinced the woman to give up the rabbits.
According to WGN 9, the woman initially had three rabbits with one neutered and then got a male and female at the extended stay hotel.
“In 15 months, there were 47 rabbits—ranging in age from 1 week to 2 years old,” the outlet said.
One Tail at a Time stressed the importance of spaying and neutering one’s pets and getting them from reputable rescue organizations and shelters.
“Rabbits and other small critters deserve the same type of love and compassion we extend to dogs and cats. They need enrichment, socialization, proper nutrition, and they can live long happy lives if we respect that,” the nonprofit’s post read.
According to the SPCA of Texas’ website, intact male and female rabbits should be housed separately.
“‘Accidental’ litters occur is [sic] shelters with distressing frequency. A doe can have a litter every 30 days, and can get pregnant within 30 mins. of giving birth,” the organization said.