A rabbit has survived a journey of more than 30 miles while trapped in the grille of a car after being hit by the driver.
Mark Pearson was driving between Pwllheli and Bangor in Wales last Tuesday when he heard a loud “thump” on the outskirts of Nefyn.
The 46-year-old said that after hearing the sound, he checked his rear-view mirror, but was unable to see anything and carried on his drive to work. Hours later, a colleague told him he had a rabbit stuck in his bumper.
Posting on his Facebook page, Pearson said he feared he would find “half a rabbit”.
“I was surprised to find this lucky fella had gone through the grille and got trapped in an enclosed compartment.
“We really couldn’t figure out how it got in there until we realised the grill was snapped, so it’s hit it, gone through it, and the plastic has gone back into place. I didn’t know whether to call the RAC or the RSPCA.”
Pearson, from Pwllheli, said he then went into “Operation Bugs” mode, removing the grille to try to get the rabbit unstuck. He said he had to “wrestle” with the rabbit to grab on to it from behind, but was able to free the animal without harming it.
“Apart from a bit of a dried nosebleed, it seemed uninjured,” he said, and he released the rabbit into a “wooded Shangri-la” near Parc Menai, Bangor.
Pearson added that a few people said he should have returned the rabbit to where he hit it, but when he went back to find it, it had run away.
An RSPCA spokesperson said people might need help to safely remove animals trapped in their vehicles. “Our rescuers have been called out to help many animals who have been hit by cars, and some who have even survived after becoming trapped in car grilles like this poor bunny.”
Once rescued, the spokesperson said, the animals should be taken to a local vet, or if that was not possible, people could call the RSPCA emergency line on 0300 1234 999 for advice.
• This article was updated on 21 June 2022 to add a response from the RSPCA.
