Overview
- A passerby found eight very young rabbits left in a closed cardboard box at a gas station on Riemer Straße and brought them to Tierheim Riem, where staff said the animals narrowly avoided death.
- Shelter workers said the animals were discovered during a heat spell and that without immediate intervention at least four would likely have died within about 30 minutes.
- Tierheim Riem placed the orphans with a resident doe named Belle, who accepted them along with her three newborns so the group can be nursed and monitored by staff.
- The Tierschutzverein München has asked anyone who saw the abandonment or recognizes the rabbits to contact the shelter, police or the veterinäramt, and reminded the public not to ignore abandoned boxes.
- Animal-welfare experts note very young rabbits cannot regulate body temperature, making closed, hot containers rapidly fatal, and the case underscores summer risks and the need to hand animals to shelters rather than abandon them.