MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Police are searching for a man who threw a sealed bag of baby rabbits out of a car window in Macomb County, causing one of them to die.
Macomb County deputies received a call at 7 p.m. April 29, 2024, from a person who saw someone throw a plastic bag out a car window in the area of Potomac and Shoal drives in Macomb Township.
Deputy Taylor Dibble found the plastic bag and discovered that it had been tied closed with multiple knots. One rabbit was poking its mouth and nose through a small hole in the bag, but there was a knot tied around its neck.
The rest of the bag had an airtight seal, police said.
Dibble untied the knots and used a key to rip a hole in the bag so the rabbits could breathe. There were eight rabbits inside.
Officials with the Department of Natural Resources directed police to a nonprofit, no-kill animal sanctuary called Detroit Animal Welfare Group in Romeo.
Dibble took the rabbits to the facility, but one had already died.
Animal officials estimated that the rabbits were about 1-2 weeks old and couldn’t live on their own without care from a mother or rehab efforts.
“The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office takes situations of animal abuse and mistreatment very seriously,” Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said. “I commend Deputy Taylor Dibble for diligently answering the call and giving these animals a chance at life.”
Police are searching for a younger or middle-aged man who drives a smaller, red Chevrolet. The witness recognized the man as someone who had been in the area before.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office at 586-469-5151.