GOWANUS — Authorities seized 45 rabbits Wednesday from the care of convicted animal abuser Dorota Trec, but that won't stop her from replenishing her herd, she told DNAinfo New York
The NYPD and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took the cottontails from a barren dirt lot on Third Avenue after the judge in Trec's animal cruelty case ordered their removal, an ASPCA spokeswoman and law enforcement sources said.
Trec is due to be sentenced Jan. 13 on 100 counts of animal cruelty. She was arrested in March 2015 after authorities found that the nearly 200 bunnies in her care had injuries and diseases including syphilis.
At least four rabbits were left behind Wednesday after authorities removed about 45 bunnies from Dorota Trec's care. DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht
Despite her criminal trial, Trec continued to collect rabbits, much to the dismay of animal welfare advocates. Trec told DNAinfo New York on Wednesday that she visits meat markets across the city to find new rabbits and that by taking them into her care, she's saving them from being killed.
Trec said she plans to acquire more rabbits when the weather warms up this spring and plans to appeal her animal cruelty conviction. Trec said she was surprised at the jury's decision, but chalked it up to city-dwellers who don't know much about animals.
"These are people from New York and they just didn't get it," Trec said. "There were no serious injuries to these rabbits. Some of them tested positive for syphilis but that was all. … They were not in pain. They continued to jump and run."
Trec contended in an interview that her rabbits were well-fed and cared for and that some of the injuries they sustained happened after authorities seized the rabbits. She said she prepared for authorities' removal of her rabbits on Wednesday by finding new homes for the "most beautiful" animals in the group, though she would not say where.
Wednesday's rabbit removal was the third time police and ASPCA workers have taken Trec's bunnies from their unlikely home behind a tire shop. Authorities didn't seize all of Trec's rabbits, probably because some hid in underground burrows they've dug in the yard. Four rabbits were spotted hopping around the yard Wednesday afternoon after police had left.
The ASPCA must care for the 45 rabbits seized Wednesday until a suitable home is found for them, but the rabbits can't be put up for adoption yet, a law enforcement source said. Trec has until Dec. 21 to suggest a caretaker for the rabbits to the court. If the judge determines that Trec's suggested caretaker is appropriate, the animals will be transferred to that person's care.
"The ASPCA is committed to providing daily care, enrichment and medical treatment, as necessary, for the rabbits,” an ASPCA spokeswoman said.
