AN ANIMAL-loving woman is appealing for help after seven rabbits were dumped on her doorstep, just days after she had closed her animal sanctuary.

Sonya McDonough, 55, has run the Bunny Camp rabbit sanctuary out of her home in Stoney Ridge Avenue, Heaton, for the past 25 years.

However, due to ill health, she has been forced to close the sanctuary, with the final rabbit in her care being rehomed yesterday.

Those plans have been scuppered, however, after someone left seven rabbits outside her home in the middle of the night last week.

Mrs McDonough, who is a full-time carer for her husband, said she received a phone call at about 3am on Thursday saying someone was acting suspiciously in her drive.

She said: “I’d had a call from a man the week before asking if I could take in some rabbits, but I told him I couldn’t because I am winding the sanctuary up.

“Then I got a call about someone in my drive, and when I went down I discovered the rabbits, so I suspect it was the same man who called.

“There are seven rabbits, three really young ones, so I suspect it is a litter.

“Annoyingly, there were five females that were split into two boxes, and both had a male in with them, so the chances are they are all pregnant, so I could literally have 30 rabbits on my hands.

“I need to get them neutered soon, but we have run out of funds so I can’t afford to get it done. We have always relied on donations, but since I have been planning on winding the sanctuary up I stopped doing fundraising events.”

To neuter female rabbits costs around £60 per animal, and males are £50, so Mrs McDonough is asking people to come forward with donations to help get the animals seen to and rehomed as soon as possible.

“I’m absolutely devastated someone would do this, it has come at the worst possible time for us,” she said.

“After seeing about 5,000 rabbits come through the sanctuary, we said goodbye to our last rabbit yesterday when it left with the new owners, but now I’ve got my hands full again, when I need to be focussing on my own health and looking after my husband.”

Mrs McDonough is asking people who would like to donate to get in touch as soon as possible.

Donors can email bunnycampsan@blueyonder.co.uk, visit bunnycamp.info, or call 01274 821665.