Wellington - Auckland police are on the hunt for a thief who has been creeping around the city's backyards stealing sleeping rabbits from their hutches.
Police said on Thursday the thief, who had been captured on camera, had stolen 15 pedigree bunnies from the Auckland suburbs of Mt Albert, Blockhouse Bay and Massey over the last three weeks.
One desperate breeder, who has had 10 rabbits stolen from her property in four separate heists, pleaded for the thief to return the animals.
The woman said in a statement, "We love our rabbits to bits. We may be breeders but that doesn't mean these rabbits aren't part of our families - my rabbits all have names; they're all loved. We just want them back."
In an attempt to foil the bunny thief, the breeder has set up CCTV cameras on her property and padlocked her rabbit hutches.
Police are now warning pet shops to be alert for suspicious behaviour.
"If they have concerns about someone who is offering rabbits for sale, then we'd like to hear from them," Constable Logan Delamere said.
The prize animals are likely to be too valuable to land in a rabbit stew, with each being worth up to NZ$50 (about R500).
dpa