A woman from Rugby, Marion Merriman, has been hit with a ten-year ban on keeping animals after the RSPCA West Midlands found six rabbits living in what can only be described as ‘gross and unsuitable conditions.’ The poor bunnies were left without enough food, water, proper housing ventilation, or bedding. The RSPCA Birmingham Animal Hospital took in the rabbits for examination on August 26 of last year, and the results were not pretty.
The vet report revealed that the rabbits were severely underweight, some of them had urine and feces on their feet, and they were all clearly hungry and thirsty. The sorry state of the rabbits was a clear indication that their owner, Marion Merriman, did not meet their basic needs. The bunnies were moved to boarding facilities the next day, and within three weeks, they had all gained a healthy amount of weight thanks to proper feeding. The vet report stated that the rabbits had suffered from hunger and thirst for at least 2 to 3 weeks due to the lack of adequate food and water provision.
Marion Merriman, a resident of Bond Street, Rugby, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to one offense under the Animal Welfare Act. She was handed a 12-month community order, 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, and 150 hours of unpaid work after a hearing at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on May 7. In addition to the sentencing, Merriman was also disqualified from keeping any animals for a decade and ordered to pay costs of £350 plus a victim surcharge of £114. RSPCA Inspector Jon Ratcliffe emphasized the importance of owners properly caring for their animals, highlighting the severe neglect the rabbits faced under Merriman’s care.
