Animal Advocates To Protest Abandonment Of 30 Rabbits

CALVERTON, NY — Animal advocates are set to protest outside the courthouse Friday at the arraignment of two charged with animal abandonment after 30 rabbits, many dead, were found in Calverton earlier this month.

According to the Suffolk County SPCA, on July 11, Kathi Willi, 59, and Matthew Melton, 52, of Ridge, were arrested and charged with violations of Agriculture and Markets Law Section 355, animal abandonment, a misdemeanor.

Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County SPCA, said that on July 5, the SPCA was contacted by a rescue group; a subsequent investigation by SPCA detectives led to the arrests of Willi and Melton, who were charged with 30 counts of abandonment of the domestic rabbits in a wooded area in Calverton, Gross said.

Gross said the arraignment was set for Friday at 9 a.m.

Animal advocates have planned a protest for 8:15 a.m. outside the Suffolk County First District Court, located at 400 Carleton Avenue in Central Islip. The groups, including Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, Jaeger's Run Animal Rescue, Nobody Starves Long Island, are urging lawmakers to sentence the pair to "the maximum punishment allowable by law," event organizers said.

"The laws on animal abuse are not tough enough," Lisa Jaeger of Jaeger's Run Animal Rescue said. "Anyone who is found guilty of abusing an animal, let alone over 30, should never be allowed to own another animal, ever."

Gary Kaufman of Nobody Starves Long Island added: "The laws protecting animals are virtually non-existent. Barbaric people are literally getting away with murder."

John Di Leonardo of LION also weighed in: "The FBI, medical professionals, and police departments have all well-documented the link between animal abuse and human violence, but too often even the most heinous crimes against animals are treated with a slap on the wrist. LION is urging prosecutors to seek the maximum punishment allowable by law to send the message that Long Island does not tolerate animal cruelty, whether it's perpetrated against a dog, a cat, a bird — or a bunny."

According to Jackie Roche, who runs the Broken Antler Wildlife Rescue in Riverhead with Joe Rocco, on July 5, her rescue organization got a call at 7 a.m. about a few loose rabbits.

"Well, a few turned into five, 10, 15, 30," she said. Of the 30, 14 were found dead but 16 were found alive, she said.

"We assembled a team, not knowing what we were walking into," she said. "Our search ran all day, all night. Finally, at 1 a.m., we said we'd regroup."

The search went on for days.

The SPCA and local authorities were notified immediately and a few tips led to the arrests, Roche said. "Domestic rabbits do not know how to survive in the wild," she said.

Describing what she found, Roche said: "As we drove down Grumman Blvd. it was like a rabbit massacre, body after body. It was heart-wrenching! These poor rabbits didn't deserve this. I am so grateful to have worked with all of these fellow rescuers. Their dedication and compassion really shined bright. Justice will be served."

Rocco added that while he was "disgusted" to find the bodies of rabbits sprawled on the roadway and the situation was grim, he was heartened by the positive outcome, "from getting justice for the rabbits to seeing multiple rescues coming together for one course of action."

Boris Johnson said she knew she had found the "dumping ground" Monday when she came to two deceased domestic rabbits on the side of the street.

"As an animal lover, a rescuer, a vegan, and a compassionate person, no words can describe the feeling of standing over a dozen dead bodies, rabbits whose lives didn't matter to the very people who intentionally brought them into this world," she said. "They matter to me, though."

Gross said the SPCA wanted to thank the rescue groups for their intensive, night and day search.

The rabbits found alive are being cared for by rescue organizations, he said.

Attorneys for Willi and Melton could not immediately be reached for comment.