Bunnies recovered from canyon

Salt Lake County Animal Services is investigating the discovery of 17 domesticated rabbits believed to have been dumped in Butterfield Canyon near Herriman.

The bunnies are believed to have started out as someone's pets that started breeding.

"They let them breed and it gets out of control and they get rid of them," Animal Services spokeswoman Temma Martin said Wednesday.

The rabbits were spotted last week by someone who reported as many as 30 rabbits on the side of the road about two miles up the canyon. Animal control officers rounded up a dozen of the rabbits on Saturday. Another officer caught five more on Sunday.

Martin said this is the third case of rabbit dumping that she has heard of. In 2003, 19 rabbits were found in Butterfield Canyon.

Equally frustrating to animal welfare officials is that it could have been prevented if the rabbit owner had just spayed or neutered their pets.

"There are veterinarians that do rabbit spay and neuter," Martin said. "The other thing you can do is house them by gender."

Abandoning the pets is a crime — a class B misdemeanor — that is punishable by up to six months in jail. Martin said they are investigating the abandonment but have no suspects so far.

The rabbits that were found in Butterfield Canyon are now being put up for adoption at Salt Lake County Animal Services. Martin said the $30 adoption fee includes spay or neuter surgery.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com