A Gowanus woman facing charges for animal cruelty is suing authorities to get back her 237 bunnies, DNAinfo reports.
Authorities confiscated dozens of rabbits from Dorota Trec’s property in January and, upon finding that many of the animals were sick, returned for the rest days later. Trec was arrested on March 4 on charges of animal cruelty and will be arraigned April 13.
In the meantime, however Trec has filed a petition with the Brooklyn Supreme Court to bring her animals home. Currently, they are placed at the ASPCA and Animal Care & Control of NYC:
Trec alleges in court papers that 60 of the seized rabbits are healthy and “not needed for evidence,” and that 117 were taken illegally because police didn’t use proper search warrants.
“I want my own rabbits back because these are my children,” Trec told DNAinfo New York. “I’m going to fight.”
The ASPCA, NYPD and Brooklyn DA’s office are all named in the suit. But an NYPD spokesperson told DNAinfo that “All the rabbits were taken legally.”
“They had scratches on them, they had bite marks on them, they were not in good condition, that’s why we took them — not because we don’t like the owner,” said the NYPD’s spokesperson.
(Photo: Neil Turner)
