Dozens of rabbits found dead or dying in field

She said the animals, all of domestic breeds, were wet through, with some dead and others looking like they were about to die.

“There were so many of them we didn’t know what to do because I thought they were going to be small but they weren’t,” she said.

“We were all in our pyjamas trying to stop them from being eaten by foxes or badgers.”

She and others who gathered the animals helped transport them to the rescue group.

The rescue group said it had taken in 16 males and 40 females, some of them thought to be pregnant. All of them were in a bad way and all needed to be neutered, spayed or vaccinated.