A woman evicted from a house on Independence Avenue in Niagara Falls left her landlord a parting gift: nearly 60 malnourished rabbits hopping from room to room.
April Monachelli, 35, now faces six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty charges.
Authorities say they chased down 57 rabbits from the home on Thursday, adding that the bunnies were found in every room of the house, including the basement. Some were emaciated and in filthy condition.
The Niagara SPCA says foster homes will be found for the animals. It posted a number of photographs from the home on its Facebook account, with a warning that "some of the photos attached may be disturbing to some viewers."
"We post to raise awareness; to show the faces of animal cruelty; to show that often times people who hoard animals claim to love their animals and provide the best care for them. They are able to convince others that they care a great deal and make excuses for the animals' living conditions. That's exactly what happened here," the SPCA said.
