Becknutt
Well-Known Member
Who is stealing my rabbits?
Published on 15/01/2008
Lucy Wood with daughter Elizabeth who has had her pet rabbit, Gizmo, stolen
A CARLISLE toddler has been left heartbroken for the second time after thieves stole her pet rabbit from its hutch in the middle of the night.
Two-year-old Elizabeth Wood awoke yesterday morning to find Gizmo, a chocolate and white bunny, had gone.
Just a few weeks earlier the youngsterâs first rabbit, named Rabrab, vanished in similar circumstances.
There was no sign of escape and the family, who live in Rigg Street, fear both pets may have been stolen for hunting.
Staff at Carlisle pet store Nu Pets, in Lowther Street, are aware of a spate of similar rabbit thefts.
Elizabethâs parents Lucy Wood, 22, and Paul Naylor, 32, are now too afraid to buy another rabbit for Elizabeth for fear it meets a similar fate to Gizmo and Rabrab.
Both pets were in a hutch in the familyâs back yard â surrounded by fences and a wall â when they went missing.
Lucy said it was a brand new, fully secure hutch â which makes her think that Gizmo was taken for hunting.
The first theft happened just before Christmas. It was reported to the police but no culprit was ever found.
Rabrab had been in the family for around three years and Elizabeth, who is almost two, had grown up with him.
After he was taken Elizabethâs grandparents, Ronny and Christine Wood, decided to buy her another bunny to help cheer her up.
They got Gizmo as a birthday present and the youngster went out every day to feed and cuddle him.
But now he has gone too and the toddler canât understand what has happened to him.
âWeâd been bringing Gizmo in every night because it was so cold but decided to leave him out that night as it has been a lot warmer,â said Elizabethâs mum Lucy.
âI went out the next morning to feed him and he wasnât there. The hutch was all shut up so he hadnât escaped.
âWe only bought the hutch a week before the first rabbit went missing so it was brand new. If theyâd stolen them to keep then youâd think theyâd have taken the hutch as well. We can only think that theyâve been taken to hunt.â
Police are now said to be investigating this and similar thefts in the area. But Ricky Majer, manager at Nu Pets, also fears the worst.
âWeâve had about six customers in the last two weeks whoâve had rabbits go missing,â he said.
âOne of the worst incidents was a rabbit that had been bought as a Christmas present for a six-year-old girl. She was absolutely devastated.
âA lot of people seem to think itâs people with dogs taking them for hunting. Apparently there are not many wild rabbits around at the moment so it is a possibility.â
Staff are now warning customers to be vigilant and take extra security precautions to protect their pets.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 33 00 247.
Published on 15/01/2008
Lucy Wood with daughter Elizabeth who has had her pet rabbit, Gizmo, stolen
A CARLISLE toddler has been left heartbroken for the second time after thieves stole her pet rabbit from its hutch in the middle of the night.
Two-year-old Elizabeth Wood awoke yesterday morning to find Gizmo, a chocolate and white bunny, had gone.
Just a few weeks earlier the youngsterâs first rabbit, named Rabrab, vanished in similar circumstances.
There was no sign of escape and the family, who live in Rigg Street, fear both pets may have been stolen for hunting.
Staff at Carlisle pet store Nu Pets, in Lowther Street, are aware of a spate of similar rabbit thefts.
Elizabethâs parents Lucy Wood, 22, and Paul Naylor, 32, are now too afraid to buy another rabbit for Elizabeth for fear it meets a similar fate to Gizmo and Rabrab.
Both pets were in a hutch in the familyâs back yard â surrounded by fences and a wall â when they went missing.
Lucy said it was a brand new, fully secure hutch â which makes her think that Gizmo was taken for hunting.
The first theft happened just before Christmas. It was reported to the police but no culprit was ever found.
Rabrab had been in the family for around three years and Elizabeth, who is almost two, had grown up with him.
After he was taken Elizabethâs grandparents, Ronny and Christine Wood, decided to buy her another bunny to help cheer her up.
They got Gizmo as a birthday present and the youngster went out every day to feed and cuddle him.
But now he has gone too and the toddler canât understand what has happened to him.
âWeâd been bringing Gizmo in every night because it was so cold but decided to leave him out that night as it has been a lot warmer,â said Elizabethâs mum Lucy.
âI went out the next morning to feed him and he wasnât there. The hutch was all shut up so he hadnât escaped.
âWe only bought the hutch a week before the first rabbit went missing so it was brand new. If theyâd stolen them to keep then youâd think theyâd have taken the hutch as well. We can only think that theyâve been taken to hunt.â
Police are now said to be investigating this and similar thefts in the area. But Ricky Majer, manager at Nu Pets, also fears the worst.
âWeâve had about six customers in the last two weeks whoâve had rabbits go missing,â he said.
âOne of the worst incidents was a rabbit that had been bought as a Christmas present for a six-year-old girl. She was absolutely devastated.
âA lot of people seem to think itâs people with dogs taking them for hunting. Apparently there are not many wild rabbits around at the moment so it is a possibility.â
Staff are now warning customers to be vigilant and take extra security precautions to protect their pets.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 33 00 247.
