Casey Matue immediately stopped his truck, and that's when they heard them.
Nearly a hundred rabbits, abandoned to die on the side of a road in Ogden.
'You could hear one of them screaming out in the field,' he told Fox 13. 'You could tell he was dying.'
At least 20 were already dead when Matue, his two young children and his brother-in-law Ryan Malan found them.
But Matue said he immediately went into 'panic mode' as they tried to save the rest.
The family was able to grab 90 rabbits and put them in Matue's truck, but it was a devastating scene.
'It's gut wrenching,' Matue said. 'My oldest is seven, my youngest is four. How do you explain to kids that age why people just dump animals off.'
And despite their best efforts, there was more tragedy.
The family drove to Cache Valley Safe Haven for Rabbits, about 45 minutes away.
Only 60 out of the 90 rabbits survived the drive. And out of a handful of babies, only one is still alive.
Sanctuary owner Jennifer Simpson said a lot of the rabbits had bite wounds and missing ears. They were malnourished and many were on the verge of death.
They wouldn't have made it much longer on their own.
Simpson usually only houses 30 rabbits at the sanctuary, but when she got Matue's call she knew she had to help.
She is now giving rabbits for free to responsible pet owners, and has started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for more supplies.
Matue and Simpson have no doubt that the rabbits were once someone's pet, and that they were left on the road intentionally.
The ground by the road where they were found is too hard for the rabbits to burrow, Malan pointed out.
Matue has since reached out to the local sheriff's department to launch an investigation.
(Daily Mail - July 26, 2016)
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