The RSPCA rescued more than 11,000 rabbits over the last three years, the charity has revealed.

It rescued 3,678 rabbits last year and more than 4,000 each year in 2016 and 2017. Many of these rabbits are rescued as a result of abandonment with more than 1,690 calls being logged by the RSPCA’s 24-hour cruelty line relating to abandoned rabbits in 2018.

 RSPCA rabbit welfare expert Dr Jane Tyson said: “Unfortunately, rabbits are often bought as a child’s first pet with the assumption that they are easy to care for but these pets have very complex needs."

Throughout June rabbit owners are invited to get a free health check for their pets at participating vets. See rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk