Rabbit dumped among fly-tipped rubbish in Southwell

A malnourished rabbit was "callously thrown out" with fly-tipped rubbish in Nottinghamshire.

Insp Marcus Oldroyd saw the rabbit hidden underneath an old mattress while running on Monday morning in Brackenhurst Lane, Southwell.

He took the lop-eared rabbit home and it is now being cared for by a vet.

An RSPCA spokesman said it was "very lucky" someone found the animal as it "could have suffered a lingering death".

Insp Oldroyd said: "It was cowering and shivering amongst the bags of rubbish including a damaged pet carrier and an old mattress which had been fly-tipped.

"The poor little thing must have been terrified, especially in the recent weather conditions.

"The RSPCA said to me that clearly the rabbit had been neglected and was well under-nourished."

In a video, the inspector appealed for information on the animal's owners or those who dumped the rubbish.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "We believe someone took on this rabbit and then decided they couldn't cope with looking after him so just discarded him."

He said the rabbit is underweight and has "some issues with his teeth".

The rabbit also has fur missing on his legs, which the charity said suggests he has been kept in a dirty environment and has been laying in his own urine for long periods of time.

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