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Gowanus Rabbit Abuser Sentenced to Jail, Leaving Dozens of Bunnies Behind

By Leslie Albrecht | February 27, 2017 4:07pm
 With convicted animal abuser Dorota Trec headed to jail, rabbit advocates are worried about at least 30 bunnies she left behind, some of which are pictured here.
With convicted animal abuser Dorota Trec headed to jail, rabbit advocates are worried about at least 30 bunnies she left behind, some of which are pictured here.
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Tiffanie Fisher

GOWANUS — Convicted rabbit abuser Dorota Trec is going to jail, but dozens of her pets have been sentenced to an even worse fate, advocates say — they've been abandoned with no one to care for them.

Trec, who was convicted in November of 100 counts of animal cruelty for neglecting the rabbits, was sentenced Friday to 45 days in jail and three years of probation, a spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney's office said.

Judge Curtis Farber also ordered Trec to pay a $23,569.32 fine to the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which helped rescue Trec's bunnies from their unlikely home behind a Third Avenue tire shop back in 2015, setting in motion her lengthy criminal case. Officials said the rabbits were sick and injured because Trec neglected them and kept them in squalid conditions.

Trec is also barred from owning any animals for five years, and she must register as an animal abuser with the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Probation authorities can search Trec's property at any time to make sure she doesn't acquire any new creatures, according to the terms of the sentence.

Trec must also undergo mental health treatment, a spokesman for the DA's office said.

Rabbit owners who've been following Trec's case attended Friday's sentencing and said they were glad to see her finally pay for her crimes, but they would have preferred a stiffer sentence.

Tiffanie Fisher, one of the animal advocates who watched as Trec was led away in handcuffs, said a lifetime ban on Trec owning animals would be more appropriate, especially because Trec continued to amass rabbits even as she was on trial for animal cruelty.

Authorities seized 45 rabbits from Trec's possession in December, but Trec vowed to continue to grow her herd.

Fearing that even more animals were in danger even with Trec behind bars, Fisher and other bunny defenders visited the Third Avenue tire shop on Saturday and found dozens of rabbits in need of care.

Armed with lettuce and hay, the rabbit advocates expected to find a handful of rabbits still on the property, but quickly counted at least 30. Advocates examined the left-behind bunnies and found that at least eight had injuries such as bites.

One was a "gorgeous" black and white checkered giant — a breed of rabbit — that was cowering in the corner of a hutch filled with garbage, Fisher said. The hutch was latched shut and it wasn't clear how long the rabbit had been alone inside, she said.

Fisher and other volunteers took the injured rabbits to Animal Care Centers of NYC. A spokeswoman for ACC said the agency already has more than 40 of Trec's former pets in its care and is awaiting direction from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office on what to do with the others that remain behind the tire shop.

The ASPCA is planning two special adoption events next month for former Trec rabbits and their offspring, a spokeswoman said. The agency has not been contacted by the NYPD about the remaining rabbits behind the tire shop, an ASPCA spokeswoman said.

Fisher said the clock is ticking on Trec's abandoned rabbits, because they don't appear to be spayed or neutered.

“The urgency is, every day that passes is another day that increases their chances of breeding,” Fisher said. “In 30 days, 20 rabbits turns into 50 rabbits.”