Two men were filmed allegedly stealing a family’s pet rabbit after recording themselves lifting the animal by its ears and carrying him away.
The unidentified men had reportedly been hanging around outside a house on St Pauls Street in Hull, East Yorkshire, before grabbing the rabbit, Peter.
In the footage, one man wearing a dark winter coat bends down and lifts Peter by his ears. A second man, dressed in a leather jacket and black hat, appears to film the incident while laughing.
Nine-year-old Peter can be seen struggling as he is held off the ground for more than 20 seconds. The pair then walk away with him, still laughing.
The incident took place at about 5.18pm on Saturday, October 17. Peter’s owner, Amy Grace, later shared the CCTV footage online after discovering the rabbit had vanished while she was out shopping with her son.
Ms Grace, 38, had left her 15-year-old daughter, Faith, at home. When she returned, she noticed Peter was missing and checked the security cameras, revealing that he had been taken from the front garden.
Two men allegedly filmed themselves taking Peter the rabbit from his family’s home, carrying him away by his ears
Peter appears to struggle as one man holds him by the ears for more than 20 seconds while his companion records the scene
The men appear to laugh as they walk around with Peter, who remains suspended by his ears
The pair were captured leaving with Peter. The rabbit was later found abandoned in a car park
Nine-year-old Peter suffers from gut stasis and needs medication three times a day
After watching the footage, Ms Grace, who has cared for Peter for eight years, said she could do nothing but “scream and cry”.
“I can’t believe how cruel people can be to something so innocent,” the mother told HullLive.
Ms Grace said she and her children searched for hours without success and eventually feared that Peter had died.
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A Humberside Police spokesperson said: “We received reports of a rabbit being stolen from a garden on St Pauls Street, Hull, at around 8.30pm on Saturday, 17 October.
“Enquiries remain ongoing. Anyone with information that could assist officers is asked to call 101, quoting log 441 of 17 October.”
Peter usually lives in the family’s back garden, but building work there meant he had been allowed to roam in the front garden, where he was taken. He suffers from gut stasis and requires medication three times each day.
In a Facebook post written after Peter disappeared, Ms Grace said her children had been left “devastated” by what happened.
Sharing the video, she wrote: “I want to know who the f*** these are that took my baby! Now!
“He is nine years old and a bunny. He relies on medication and is extremely poorly at the moment with gut stasis. He needs finding ASAP if he is still alive.”
‘Is has always been free roaming, the pallet is in front of the gate to prevent people opening it! I hate living here now and want out of Hull! My children are devastated.’
Thankfully, Ms Grace confirmed in an update posted on Sunday that her pet had been found and since returned home.
She wrote that Peter had been ‘dumped in a car park’.
She said: ‘Peter was found dumped in a car park last night and a lovely kind stranger has messaged me with a video and I now have him home.
‘He will be going to the vets to make sure everything is ok with him.’
Humberside Police has been contacted for a comment.
- Do YOU know the rabbit thieves? Email Sam.Lawley@dailymail.co.uk