A BROWN rabbit abandoned at an animal shelter has stunned staff after having a much needed bath.
The brown bunny turned pure white after being bathed, as rescuers realised his fur had been stained by cigarette smoke.
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Volunteers at Sweetie’s Rescue rabbit sanctuary in Ontario, Canada said they knew he was “dirty” when he arrived, but were left “completely shocked” when he completely changed colour.
Multiple washes revealed the rabbit was stained by the tar and nicotine from the cigarette smoke and was not brown coloured at all.
Rabbit rescuer Ashley Muvahill, 36, said the smell of smoke was permeating so strongly from the bunny’s fur she was left feeling nauseous.
The rabbit – initially dubbed Crusty, now called Rio – had since undergone a massive transformation.
Ashley said she couldn’t “believe the difference”.
“We were shocked when we first found him,” she said.
“His face was brown and crusty.
“We took him to the vet. He was terrified and shaking and wouldn’t come out of the carrier,” she continued.
Ashley said it wasn’t normal practice to bathe bunnies, but due to his dire condition, they made an exception.
“He was so dirty,” she said.
“We’ve rescued so many rabbits – but he was the dirtiest bunny we’ve ever seen.
“So we put him in the bath to clean him up – and the water was turning black.”
Ashley said they gave him a second bath, where the water turned yellow and Rio began smelling like cigarette smoke.
“The smell made me nauseous,” she said.
“The one of our volunteers gave him another wash and trimmed some of his fur.
“Once she was finished with him, he was completely white.”
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Ashley said she “couldn’t believe the difference in him”.
“He seemed so happy, he did a binky – he jumped in the air and kicked his feet and did a spin,” she said.
Ashley said she thinks her team washed off “years” of ingrained tobacco smoke from Rio’s fur.
Nobody came forward to claim the rabbit so he was put up for adoption.
In the meantime, Rio will be joining a new foster family.
“We’re so happy for him,” Ashley said.
“Pretty much the best part of the job is seeing them go to homes and be happy in their homes.
“It’s heartbreaking [finding strays]. We have rescued so many rabbits, but it’s the first time that’s ever happened.”
Ashley said smokers who own rabbits should “smoke outside”.
“It does more damage than you realise,” she said.
“And don’t abandon your pets. In the last two years, we’re seeing more and more abandoned rabbits.
“People see jackrabbits or cotton-tails and think, well my rabbit must be able to cope in the wild. But they can’t,” she added.
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