Target: Superintendent Tony Hill, Canterbury District Commander, New Zealand Police, Canterbury, New Zealand
Goal: Pursue vigorous charges, full restitution, and strict animal-ownership prohibitions for the alleged theft of rare breeding rabbits that reportedly crippled an essential conservation pairing.
Several rabbits, including a critically rare Enderby Island male, were taken from a conservation facility, shattering a careful breeding plan. The missing male was scheduled for imminent pairings with two females, a step meant to bolster a fragile gene pool. Staff discovered enclosures disturbed and animals gone, leaving caretakers scrambling while a precious timetable slipped away.
Witness accounts suggest this was not a harmless prank but a calculated act that removed animals from skilled care. Such animals require specialized husbandry, precise diets, and temperature control. Outside that framework, stress and mishandling can quickly spiral into suffering. Every day lost risks failed cycles, weakened lines, and avoidable harm.
This case carries public-interest weight because these rabbits represent a living archive, not replaceable pets. Conservation programs run on shoestring margins and biology’s clock. When breeding windows close, recovery can stall for years. Finding and recovering the lost rabbits must be a priority for local law enforcement.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Superintendent Hill,
We respectfully urge a robust response to the theft of rare breeding rabbits from a Canterbury conservation setting. Accounts describe several rabbits, including an Enderby Island male, removed just as planned pairings were due. That act sabotaged a carefully staged effort aimed at preserving a precarious lineage.
Animal removal from expert care exposes them to intense stress and potential injury. It also jeopardizes years of conservation investment. Such conduct merits strong legal action that reflects both animal-welfare risks and the wider conservation setback.
We therefore ask your office to devote resources to finding these rabbits and ensuring they are returned unharmed. The safety of the animals in question should be the foremost priority.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: André Richard Chalmers
