By Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle The Tribune Content Agency
A fluffle of more than two dozen bunnies was apparently dumped in the wild this week near a Marin County reservoir - then rescued by an alert passerby and an animal services officer.
Now officials are investigating who released the rabbits and why.
A woman driving in the area spotted the rabbits near Nicasio Reservoir on Wednesday evening and reported them to Marin Humane, the county's animal services agency, according to spokesperson Lisa Bloch.
The passerby said she stood by keeping the animals off the road until an officer arrived and rounded up 23 of the bunnies in the dark of night.
Four more were captured the next morning.
In a post on Threads, the news outlet West Marin Feed reported the rabbit rescue and quoted a post from @lolablue13, the woman who said she spotted the bunnies and notified Marin Humane.
"To whoever dumped over 25 rabbits at the Nicasio reservoir, you are a monster," she wrote.
Bloch said an investigation into who turned the rabbits loose is continuing. Since the bunnies appear to be domesticated, she said an intentional release "does seem to be a likely scenario."
It's possible, she said, that someone may have been overwhelmed by the rabbits, which can reproduce rapidly, and thought releasing them was the right thing to do.
However, it is not only illegal to release domesticated animals into the wild, "it's also cruel," she said. "They just don't know how to survive."
Fortunately, Bloch said, the rabbits seem to have been spotted fairly quickly after their apparent abandonment. They're still being examined by veterinarians and behavioral specialists and are also being quarantined for two weeks in compliance with state orders due to a virus spreading among rabbits.
Because of the quarantine, they are not immediately available for adoption, Bloch said. Anyone interested in helping or in adopting or fostering a rabbit can apply for one already available - helping make room for the new arrivals - or wait for a couple of days.
Adoption opportunities are posted online at www.marinhumane.org.
Bloch said Marin Humane wants to use the incident to inform people that they shouldn't abandon animals in the wild and that people who may feel overwhelmed by their pets may call the agency for advice and help at 415-883-4621.
Reach Michael Cabanatuan: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com; X: @ctuan