Unwanted baby rabbits and cockerels were abandoned in freezing conditions outside an environmental centre.
Animal rescuer Maureen Taylor said she was appalled at the way boxes of animals were dumped outside Mistley Place Park on consecutive nights.
She said a box with a mother rabbit, her four babies and another adult female were found by her husband Mike when making final checks by the main gate at 2am yesterday.
Mrs Taylor said: "The young rabbits can't have been more than six weeks old and they were just left outside to get on with it. Anything could've got them.
"If Mike hadn't have found them, they wouldn't have survived because they would've almost certainly been got by a fox or frozen to death."
The bunnies, all Cashmere Lops, were said to be in a good condition, albeit with slightly knotty coats.
Another box containing cockerels had been left by the gate in New Road early on Sunday morning.
Altogether, four cockerels were found but Mrs Taylor said more coluld have got away.
Published Tuesday, January 7, 2003
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