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Advocates Want Accused Rabbit Abuser Barred from Getting More Bunnies

 Rabbit owner Dorota Trec has been seen caring for new bunnies after she was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty, neighbors say.
New Rabbits Spotted in Gowanus Dirt Lot, Neighbors Say
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GOWANUS — Animal welfare advocates fear the woman accused of abusing more than 200 rabbits has acquired new bunnies and they want a judge to bar her from getting more.

At least five rabbits have been spotted recently in a dirt lot behind a Third Avenue tire shop where police seized dozens of sick and injured bunnies from owner Dorota Trec in January, witnesses said.

Witnesses have also seen newly built hutches in the lot and they worry that Trec plans to expand her new menagerie.

Rabbit lovers are calling on prosecutors to get a temporary restraining order barring Trec from owning rabbits until her criminal case is resolved.

"This whole thing is a farce if she's allowed to replace the population that was taken with a batch of new rabbits," said Natalie Reeves, founder of Big Apple Bunnies. "It would be akin to someone charged with child abuse being able to open a day care center."

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Trec was arrested in March on animal cruelty charges after vet exams revealed that her bunnies were riddled with illness — including syphilis — and injuries.

Trec was released on her own recognizance. Her criminal case has been delayed several times and she's next due in court on June 19.

Trec's rabbits are now under the care of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She filed a lawsuit seeking the return of her pets, but a judge rejected her request last month.

Trec declined to comment.

Getting rabbits isn't as easy as it used to be in New York City.  A new law that took effect June 1 bans the sale of bunnies in pet stores, though people can still adopt rabbits from rescue groups.