For Immediate Release                                   
Contact: Erin Williams, HRS Richmond Communications, (510) 970-7575
www.rabbit.org

RICHMOND, Calif. (April 13, 2005) ­ Lucky the rabbit gained national attention after her "owner" taped her to explosives and threw her into an East Bay lake. This Wednesday, the men responsible pled guilty to animal cruelty charges in a crime that animal rescuers have called an atrocity.  They received a sentence of jail time, probation, counseling, restitution for Lucky¹s medical care, and community service.

This past summer, Lucky's previous "owner" Nicholas Sigmon and his friend, Paul Collins, planned to kill Lucky with explosives. On July 13, 2004, they met a group of friends at San Leandro¹s Lake Don Castro. Sigmon and his friends duct-taped Lucky to a quarter stick of dynamite, lit the fuse, and threw her into the water. The explosives did not detonate, and the men watched her swim until they pulled her, exhausted, onto the dock. While the rabbit lay immobile and terrified, they discussed a second attempt, deciding that the fuse was too short to relight. Perhaps most shocking, the young people planned the torture, taking her to the lake with the intent to blow her up and document the atrocity with video and still cameras.

An online posting containing shocking photos of Lucky alerted House Rabbit Society, a national rabbit rescue organization headquartered in Richmond, CA, to the abuse. HRS notified East Bay Regional Park District Police, who confiscated Lucky and placed her in HRS¹s care. After providing her with medical and foster care, the organization adopted her to a loving family, where she now lives happily with other rabbit companions.

Alameda County prosecutors charged Sigmon and Collins with misdemeanor animal cruelty. Today, the men pled guilty to the charges. Judge Robert Fairwell sentenced Sigmon to 30 days jail time and Collins to 15 days in jail. The judge also ordered both men to attend acute psychological counseling, perform community service, and pay fines. Both men also may not own explosives or care for animals during their three years of probation.

HRS representative Erin Williams states, "Lucky suffered an atrocity at the hands of these dangerous and cruel individuals. While any animal abuse is completely unacceptable, the fact that Sigmon and Collins used live explosives and documented Lucky¹s torture is shocking. This rabbit was a family pet ­ part of Sigmon¹s family. While he should have cared for her and loved her, he instead tried to blow her up." Williams also commends the District Attorney¹s office, stating, "The DA clearly took this case seriously. Given that Sigmon also recently received probation for a DUI arrest in January, it was imperative that he receive intensive counseling for his dangerous actions."

Lucky¹s guardian Rachel Hess explains, "Lucky went through a hell that no one should ever suffer. What Nicholas Sigmon and Paul Collins did to her was nothing short of sadistic torture and abuse. The fact that their heartlessly cruel act was also proudly posted on the web shows a blatant and callous disregard for life and the law." Like the thousands of people who wrote letters, signed petitions, and called the court, Hess encouraged the court to consider a sentence appropriate for the incredibly cruel act against a helpless creature.

For more information about Lucky, please visit www.luckyrabbit.org. For information about HRS chapters and rabbits available for adoption throughout the Bay Area, please visit www.rabbit.org.            

# # #

House Rabbit Society is an international non-profit organization that rescues rabbits and educates the public on rabbit care and behavior through its national network of fosterers and educators, advocacy programs, and its limited-access rabbit shelter in Richmond, California.