Rabbit Abuser Convicted of Animal Cruelty

For Immediate Release
Contact: Erin Williams, HRS Richmond Communications, (510) 970-7575
http://www.rabbit.org, http://www.haywardrabbits.org

Rabbit Abuser Convicted of Animal Cruelty: Rabbit Rescue Group Calls for Maximum Sentencing

RICHMOND, Calif. (April 21, 2005) – On May 12, 2004, Hayward Animal Control and a rabbit rescue group rescued 34 rabbits from a serious cruelty situation in Hayward, CA. Yesterday, Janine Marie Cazares pleaded "no contest" and was convicted of animal cruelty charges arising from the case.

House Rabbit Society (HRS), a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Richmond, CA, initially discovered the horrific situation through an online posting on May 11, 2004, for free rabbits. Upon immediately visiting the home, HRS and East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) volunteers discovered 34 rabbits languishing in a feces-filled backyard. Cazares kept the rabbits in an outdoor enclosure with machinery, cans of gasoline, and junk strewn around the property. All of the rabbits were covered in dirt, feces, and mats, and signs of abuse and neglect were everywhere. HRS and EBAA volunteers returned on May 12 with Hayward Animal Services, who determined that the animals should be immediately removed from the residence. Humane officers and volunteers were shocked to discover a large number of dead and decaying rabbits, in addition to sick, malnourished, and injured rabbits, piles of feces, and insect infestation.

"It was a truly horrifying situation," explains HRS spokesperson Erin Williams. "There was an enormous number of rotting corpses and body parts as well as the survivors, who were suffering terribly. Most of the rabbits had significant medical problems, including tumors, parasites, open sores, shredded or half-eaten ears, eyes that were completely closed from infection, as well as serious illnesses. Some rabbits could barely stand. It was the worst case of abuse I have seen."

Accompanied by Hayward Animal Control officer Cara Taft, Hayward Police arrested Cazares on Friday, October 15, and charged her with animal cruelty, CA Penal Code 597f. Cazares was taken to jail in handcuffs and bail was set at $10,000. On Tuesday, November 9, 2004, she entered a plea of "no contest" at her arraignment. Yesterday, Judge Robert Kurtz convicted her of charges and set her sentencing date on May 20 at 2:00 in Dept. 519 at the Hayward Hall of Justice.

A team of dedicated HRS volunteers nursed the rabbits back to health, providing costly and specialized treatment, and the organization adopted all the surviving rabbits into loving, permanent homes or sanctuaries. One rabbit, Dave, is left at Cazares’ home, and HRS requests that this rabbit immediately be turned over to Hayward Animal Control.

HRS encourages Judge Kurtz to pursue maximum sentencing for this heinous act of cruelty, including psychiatric counseling. Additionally, HRS seeks restitution for veterinary costs for all treatments directly related to the inhumane conditions the rabbits endured at Cazares' property.

For photos and more information regarding this case, including photographs and witness statements, please visit http://www.haywardrabbits.org. HRS chapters throughout the Bay Area also have hundreds more loving, gentle rabbits who desperately need homes. To learn more, please visit http://www.rabbit.org.

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House Rabbit Society is an international non-profit organization that rescues rabbits and educates the public on rabbit care and behavior through its national network of fosterers and educators, advocacy programs, and its no-kill rabbit shelter in Richmond, California.