By Patrick Williams.
The owners of a rabbit being kept illegally in Queensland have tried unsuccessfully to convince police officers their pet was a guinea pig.
Queensland police found the rabbit living in a cage inside a caravan at Springwood, south of Brisbane, after being called to the address in relation to an incident involving the owners.
Police said the owners tried unsuccessfully to convince officers the animal was actually a guinea pig.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said the owners could face possible charges for keeping a declared pest.
Queensland has the toughest anti-rabbit laws in the world, with penalties of $44,000 and six months in prison, unless owners have proper authorisation.
RSPCA Queensland’s Michael Beatty said it was very uncommon to come across rabbits being kept as pets in Queensland.
“We probably deal with about one case every two years … so it’s very rare,” he said.
“You don’t see it a lot, it’s fairly well publicised that rabbits aren’t allowed in Queensland.”
The Springwood rabbit has been sent to a rabbit rescue sanctuary in Grafton, New South Wales.
“We send them across the border to be re-homed there. Otherwise by law we have to euthanise them.”
Coincidentally, the RSPCA does not recommend keeping guinea pigs and rabbits together as pets.
“Though there have been cases where rabbits and guinea pigs have been friends with each other, it is not advisable to keep these animals together,” the website read.
“Rabbits can bully and seriously injure guinea pigs.”
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
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