Truly and Old Money, in better days Credit: Fiona Petra

Last weekend, some mysterious animal rights gang stole Fiona Petra ‘s rabbits from their cozy outdoor hutches. WHAT.

All they left behind was a short rather condescending note:

“I’m sure you care about your bunnies, but for whatever reason are unable to provide proper housing at this time. They will be given a roomy home indoors during this cold, wet weather. I’m sorry for the shock you may receive at finding your rabbits gone. Please try not to worry about them. I know you want the best for them — they will be well loved and taken care of. — The HALO League (Helping Animals Living Outside)“

Now, for some background. Petra says that the pair of rabbits (Old Money and Truly) lived in separate hand crafted hutches outdoors, equipped with multiple insulated rooms and nooks and a study lock to keep raccoons away. She decided to keep them outside after last winter, when they lived indoors and developed respiratory problems. Also, after extensive research, she learned rabbits are well suited for the outdoors, especially cold weather.

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Insulted and upset after the weekend’s rabbit-snatching, Petra called around to other local animal rights groups to see if they knew anything about HALO. None of them had heard of the group. Additionally, they agreed that this tactic was a bit ridiculous.

“It’s about as revolutionary as tagging a bathroom stall,” says Petra. “It really gives animal activists a bad name.”

CUTE BUNNIES & MORE AFTER CUT!

Truly and Old Money, in better days
  • Fiona Petra
  • Truly and Old Money, in better days

The most disturbing part, to Petra, is that it is impossible to see the hutches from the street. The culprit, she guesses, must either be a neighbor or — worse — a backyard-creepin’ stranger.

This robbery harks back to a 2010 chickennapping by Reed students upset by a chicken slaughtering class. In this case, however, the thieves actually nabbed the right animal.

Petra is in the process of moving to a more spacious spot in North Portland with a warm barn and more outdoor space for her bunny pair. That is, if she still has them. If you have any info on the rabbitnapping, contact Petra at returntherabbits@gmail.com.

Alex Zielinski is a former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She's here to tell stories about economic inequities, cops, civil rights, and weird city politics that you should probably be paying attention...

20 replies on “Rabbit Capers!”

  3. I ALSO AGREE THAT THE FACTS OF THIS ARTICLE CONFIRM EVERYTHING I’VE BEEN SAYING ELSEWHERE ABOUT OTHER THINGS THAT INVOLVE SOME OF THE SAME WORDS AND CONCEPTS.

  7. I don’t know…no one was rabbit-sitting and accidentally let them escape, did they? And then in desperation wrote that note? It seems odd to me that animal-rightists would leave a possibly self-incriminating note after rabbit-napping the pets of a private citizen.

  9. “If you do not capture and stop HALO now they will be doing this with children in a few years.”

    Children should never be left outdoors!

  14. I saw a bumper sticker last week that said, “Rabbits belong Inside” with an icon of a roof over a bunny head. There is a cause for every person, eh? These house/rabbit people are all around us.

  15. Rabbits do not cost $400 to fix especially males. Contact the Humane Society for names of good rabbit vets for a neuter around $100. Were the males housed together? Unaltered they can really injure each other. Rabbits are extremely social animals and do well together so neutering them is a good idea. The breed shown does not have a double coat more suited to winter weather. Domesticated rabbits have even turned up with frostbite on their ears and are very sensitive to temperature changes and definitely do not do well in snow. Domesticated rabbits are descendants of European rabbits that dig deep warrens to escape both the heat and cold and snug up to each other to stay warm. While this rabbit owner loves her rabbits, she still needs to read up on their proper care. House rabbits are very popular even in Portland and maybe a visit to a website with more info will help. Indoor rabbits can live to be 12 years old!

  16. I know Fiona…this has actually really hurt her. She did get one of the rabbits back (in less than good shape). These idiots seriously need to think about their “agenda”

  17. T@he Showstopper: So what’s the story? The rabbits were taken, on different days (according to KOIN), on the one weekend that the cages were unlocked so a pet-sitter could have access (why couldn’t that person just have the keys?); and now one rabbit has been returned? Returned by a person, or it just showed up at the door? This is a very strange case.

  18. This is Fiona Petra: You guys, I have spent DAYS AND NIGHTS of my life researching rabbit care. I did call the Humane Society and they told me their was no low-income assistance for rabbits, and then I called vets and they all quoted me $360-$420 (and I know others who experienced this as well). It wasn’t my room mate. Truly, the brown rabbit, was found on a street corner in Milwaukie, dazed and exhausted with scabs in his ears. A stranger picked him up and then saw the Koin feature. The stranger is definitely not the thief. I hope that Old Money is safe wherever he has been taken, and not wandering the streets like his brother was. I also hope that whoever took him realized they made a mistake, and returns him soon so we can move into our new house and get on with our lives.

  19. For what it’s worth, the “chickennapping” referred to wasn’t carried out by Reed students. Rather, Reed students had some chickens stolen after an uproar set off by the portland animal defense league.

    Hope the rabbits are returned safely.

  20. yo… i dont think this was an animal rights group. similar yeah, but not the same… amateurs more like. animal liberation groups usually target businesses profiting from animal killing, not a couple rabbits in a backyard or whatever.

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