A NUMBER of the bunnies that were cruelly dumped in woodland are now on the mend at veterinary practices thanks to kind donations to a rescue charity.

Several of the abandoned rabbits that were rescued from Chaddesley Woods, near Chaddesley Corbett, have now been vaccinated, spayed and neutered at veterinary practices.

Lucky Bunny and Friends Rescue, an animal sanctuary based in Gornal Wood, took in 56 of the rabbits discovered and said they were all “in a bad way”.

Now, thanks to a flurry of donations to the charity to help with vet bills, the rabbits are now being booked in for treatment. Rabbits are being vaccinated at Vets4Pets in West Bromwich and Stourbridge.

Heather Kelly, who runs the animal rescue charity from her home, said: "We are in the process of getting them all vaccinated and neutered.

"The donations are helping massively towards going to help get these guys in".

Liz Roberts, manager of Vets4Pets West Bromwich, said: "We have worked alongside Lucky Bunny and Friends Rescue for the last few years, offering them discounted veterinary care and assisting with fundraising.

"Our student veterinary nurse Andrea was on-scene at Chaddesley Corbet on Tuesday, helping to gather the rabbits and transport them to the rescue.

"Some of the rabbits saved by Lucky Bunny and Friends Rescue have been brought in to us for treatment, including vaccinations and neutering, with many more booked in for the coming days and nights.

"Many of the rabbits are in poor health, with missing ears, and abscesses. It is also suspected that a lot of the female rabbits may be pregnant.

The rabbits rescued by the animal charityThe rabbits rescued by the animal charity (Image: Lucky Bunny and Friends Rescue)

Ms Kelly said she was "completely shocked" at the news of the abandoned bunnies. 80 rabbits were collected on November 12, as well as the bodies of 23 bunnies who had died, according to the RSPCA.

Ms Kelly said she's also "completely overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support shown by the community.

She added: "There's been a lot of good will from the community. Everybody has really pulled together.

"We are just grateful for the outstanding support that we have received from everybody - it's just amazing".

The sanctuary was previously flooded with 163 Amazon deliveries from kind-hearted animal lovers containing essential supplies for the rabbits.

A number of the bunnies were also taken off their hands by other animal sanctuaries, both local to the West Midlands and from as far away as Eastbourne.

Hannah’s Guinea Pig Sanctuary in the West Midlands have taken on nine of the bunnies with Berkshire Animal Rescue, Eastbourne Rabbit & Guinea Pig Rescue and Hug A Bunny Hotel in Surrey taking a further 14 between them.

Shrewsbury Rabbit Rescue have taken in some of the bunnies and went out and searched for more in the woods yesterday, even deploying a drone.

Greatfield Small Animal Rescue in Kidderminster, Bunnies & Piggies In Need Rescue UK in Birmingham and The Rabbit Residence Rescue in Hertfordshire have also lent a helping hand in taking care of the bunnies. 

West Mercia Police have said they are aware of the incident and enquiries are ongoing, with the RSPCA confirming they are also investigating what has happened.