'Bunnies should be out socialising': Schoolgirl reduced to tears after animal rights activist steals rabbit and leaves taunting note

By Daily Mail Reporter

Heartbroken Harry and Kiera Bailey show the hutch where they kept their pet rabbit, Barney. The bunny was released by an animal rights activist


A schoolgirl burst into tears after an animal rights protester sneaked into her back garden stole her pet rabbit and left a note sneering: 'Bunnies should be out socialising.'

Kiera Bailey, 13, and her younger brother Harry, 10, woke to discover that Barney the nine-year-old rabbit had been taken from his hutch at their home in Darwen, Lancashire.

On top of the hutch was an A4 plastic sleeve containing a small, handwritten note, saying: 'This is animal cruelty. Rabbits should not be left in hutches, they should be out in the wild and socialising.'


Kiera and Harry's beloved pet rabbit, Harry, who was released by a protester


But today Kiera's father Oliver, 38, said: 'My children are heartbroken. I've had nothing but tears.'

'They are absolutely horrified. They love the rabbit and play with him every day. He is taken to the vets regularly and gets the best possible treatment.'

'We bought Barney for Kiera when she cut her eye in reception class and wanted a rabbit to make her feel better.


The note left by a cruel animal rights activist who released the children's pet


'We are just heartbroken to be accused of animal cruelty to a pet rabbit we love dearly. My kids are asking me why would someone do this to us when we love him so much?'

Mr Bailey had seen Barney in his hutch on Thursday night, but spotted the note from his bedroom window weighted down by a stone the following Friday morning.

'It must be a nutter,' he added. 'We live very close to woods and someone must have seen him in our back garden. But if they let him out into the woods he will die because he's tame.'

'If they've let him out into the wild it will have the opposite effect of what they have intended. If they've still got him we'd really like him back.

'We've also got a couple of dogs and goldfish. What would they have us do, put the fish in the reservoir and let the dogs run loose?'

Leaflets appealing for the safe return of the rabbit were put up in the local pub and Mr Bailey has asked neighbours to keep watch.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed they had received a report of a stolen rabbit and a note about 'animal cruelty'.


source: dailymail