334 bunnies found in woman’s yard, cops say

updated 6:33 p.m. ET June 23, 2009

RIO RANCHO, N.M. - A New Mexico woman with an affinity for rabbits has run afoul of the law after her rascally pets started multiplying like, well, rabbits.

Rio Rancho police said Monday that Nancy Haseman was cited under an ordinance that allows five pets per household after an animal control officer found 334 bunnies hopping around in her yard, the local KRQE-TV reported.

The officer spotted the animals last month after a neighbor complained about rabbits eating her garden.

Haseman says her husband rescued a rabbit 12 years ago after a neighbor abandoned it, then the couple began rescuing more bunnies.

She says they kept the males separate from the females, but the males hopped the fence and things got "out of control."

The couple hoped to help the animals, Haseman said.

Rescue groups have found homes for about half the Haseman rabbits.

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