Neglected, rescued rabbits nursed back to health

A Prineville woman has been charged with animal neglect, and the Humane Society of the Ochocos has taken a major hit because of it.

Last month, Kara Madison, 37, was arrested and indicted by a grand jury for nine counts of animal neglect.

When police investigated her home a month ago, they found cats, dogs, goats, chickens and more than two dozen neglected rabbits.

According to police, the rabbits were starving, dirty and sick. The humane society was called in to take the rabbits. Seven rabbits had already died, but 18 lived and have steadily been nursed back to health by the organization said shelter manager Amanda Drake said Tuesday.

“So the bulk of them were in one larger enclosure. A couple of them were in a garage, and a couple small crates, kind of similar to the wire crates we have here,” Drake said. “But just no water, no food. We found one water bottle out there — and it was just bone dry, no water.”

The rabbits have cost the shelter thousands of dollars in just a month. But Drake said it’s their job to take in animals that need help.

“So it’s been about $7,000 so far in just food, bedding, just overall care of these guys, medication. When they did come in, they had Coccidia, so we had to treat for Coccidia,” Drake said.

According to Crook County District Attorney Wade Whiting, the rabbits’ owner voluntarily surrendered them to the shelter last week. So they are now available for adoption.

Madison has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to be back in court on March 15 for a trial readiness hearing.

Meanwhile, the humane society is looking for anyone interested in adopting a rabbit. The organization has several events in the next few weeks. You can find the information here: http://hsonokillshelter.org/