SONGKHLA: About 30 pet rabbits have been found abandoned in a forest near Laem Samila beach. Rescuers said three of the bunnies had died.
Many of the rabbits were weak and some had broken legs, said Wachirapranee Wisartthapong, 22, a student at Thaksin University in Songkhla who saw three people dump the animals in Laem Son On forest on Tuesday afternoon.
Ms Wachirapranee said two men and a woman arrived in a car, unloaded several cardboard boxes, threw them into the forest and then drove off.
She went to have a look and found the boxes were packed with pet rabbits, which were already breaking out and running away.
She called her sister to help catch the animals and made a video live-stream to Facebook. Rescue workers who saw the video came to help.
About 30 rabbits were captured. One was found dead in the forest and two of the rescued animals later died, Ms Wachirapranee said.
The plight of the rabbits drew netizens' sympathy as the video posted on Facebook was shared rapidly online. People arrived at the scene offering to take care of them, the student said.
She was at a loss for words why anyone would dump the animals this way.
Volunteers on Wednesday continued to look for more rabbits in the area, where there are also many hungry snakes.
