PETA Offering $5K Reward For Information About Rabbit Deaths

LAS VEGAS, NV - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for the deaths of 50 rabbits outside of a mental health facility in Las Vegas last month.

Stacey Taylor, founder of the rescue group Bunnies Matter in Vegas Too, found upwards of 50 dead rabbits when she arrived to feed them at the Desert Willow Treatment Center in February. Taylor suspected they were poisoned. Necropsies done on some of the rabbits showed some may have died from blunt-force trauma.

"PETA is turning to the public for help in apprehending the criminal or criminals whose vicious killing spree left around 50 gentle rabbits dead," said Colleen O'Brien, PETA Vice President. "These rabbits died violently at the hands of a dangerous person, and it's urgent that whoever did this is identified, held accountable, and stopped from hurting anyone else."

The $5,000 reward will be given to anyone who provides "information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person or persons who killed these rabbits." PETA pays out rewards in cases of unsolved animal cruelty, but only if the information results in a conviction, said Kristin Rickman, Emergency Response Division Manager of PETA.

"People who harm animals rarely do so once, and almost never stop there. So finding out who did this and bringing them to justice is a very important thing for the safety of the community in general," Rickman said.

Rickman said that PETA has been in touch with Animal Control in Las Vegas, but she is not aware of any correspondence with Bunnies Matter in Vegas Too.

"We've paid out plenty of rewards to tipsters, so it does work," Rickman said.

READ MORE: Suspicious Deaths Of Rabbits In Las Vegas Concerns Rescue Group

The rabbits were killed days after the Nevada Department of Health cautioned that the rabbit population could spread disease and become a public health hazard.

Following the discovery of the dead rabbits, a post on the Facebook page for Bunnies Matter in Vegas Too suggested that someone had brought food to the rabbits that was doused in antifreeze.

In an interview with Patch in February, Taylor said she thought the state was directly responsible for the deaths of the rabbits. Rickman disagreed, saying the recent safe removal of 250 rabbits by the state did nothing to decrease the population in the area. So killing 50 more, she said, days after the announcement, doesn't make sense.

However, Rickman said it's possible the Department of Health statement prompted someone to take action on their own. When asked if the state should bear responsibility if that was in fact the case, Rickman said no.

"The state is doing its due diligence when it comes to the health and safety of its citizens," Rickman said. "If they felt if was necessary for the health and safety of citizens to release a statement about the rabbits, it's not necessarily their fault if someone committed a crime because of it."

Anyone with information about the deaths of the rabbits is encouraged to call law enforcement at 702-486-2935 or 702-385-5555.

Image via Bunnies Matter in Vegas Too Facebook video