Volunteers rescue baby rabbits from along Metra tracks in Rogers Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A team of 30 volunteers stepped in after some baby rabbits were found abandoned near the Union Pacific North Metra tracks in Rogers Park.
The baby bunnies were left near the tracks along Ravenswood Avenue at Farwell Avenue.
The rescuers from the Red Door Animal Shelter used fences and netting to corral the five bunnies.
Pet rabbits cannot live in the wild, and unfortunately, the mother rabbit did not survive.
The shelter believes there are more baby bunnies out there – but rescuers could not enter private Metra property.
"It was really terrible terrain to be doing a search and rescue. It was a very steep incline; densely wooded," said Toni Greetis of the Red Door Animal Shelter. "Baby rabbits are very small and very fast. Once the rabbits start hearing something rustling, they're going to run."
The bunnies were covered in ticks, but otherwise OK. At just six weeks old, they are still too young to be put up for adoption.
The shelter believes someone bought the rabbits as an Easter gift, and they warn never to buy pets on an impulse.