Victory—Rabbit Hoarder Convicted!

In an important step toward justice for the many rabbits who
suffered at Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue, Inc.—as revealed by
PETA—Carole Van Wie,  the operator of that nightmarish hoarding facility, was convicted in court of neglecting rabbits. More importantly, she
has promised not to take in any more animals and will be on supervised probation
to ensure her compliance.

Van Wie will be turning in her state and federal animal
rehabilitator licenses and has vowed to get out of animal rescue work—not that
she was actually rescuing any animals, of course. Van Wie must undergo a psychiatric
evaluation—which is critical for ensuring that no more animals suffer and die
at her hands—and pay back some of the costs of caring for the animals who were seized from Bunny Magic. PETA thanks Calvert County Animal Control, the Tri-County
Animal Shelter, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for all their
hard work on this case.

What You Can Do

Some “rescuers” are anything but—before handing
over any animal, take
extra care to ensure that you’re not sentencing him or her to a miserable incarceration at
the hands of a hoarder. Also, please don’t bring any animals into your
household if you can’t make a lifetime commitment to them. But if you are ready, please consider adopting one (or two) of the adorable rabbits rescued from Bunny Magic!