Animal shelter files charges German influencer abandoned rabbits in the forest
Because she felt overwhelmed, influencer Alicia Vosgrau abandoned her rabbits in the forest. Now animal rights activists are calling for a ban on keeping animals and legal action.
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- German influencer Alicia Vosgrau abandoned four rabbits in the forest in August.
- Vosgrau confessed to the act on Instagram and justified it by saying she was overwhelmed.
- Animal rights activists reacted with harsh criticism and called for a ban on keeping animals.
In August, German influencer Alicia Vosgrau abandoned four rabbits in a forest because she felt overwhelmed with caring for them. This was reported by several German media outlets.
Passers-by found the rabbits and informed an animal shelter. Three animals were taken in there, one died in the forest. The animal shelter was looking for the owner - and because Vosgrau regularly showed the rabbits in her posts, staff at the shelter were able to identify them.
In an Instagram story that is no longer visible, Vosgrau admitted that she had abandoned the animals. She and her husband were overloaded with everyday family life: Two rabbits had previously died, the newborn infant had barely let her sleep at night and her husband was suffering from burnout. "We were in a state of emergency," wrote Vosgrau, who has several hundred thousand followers on TikTok and Instagram.
"We came up with the incredibly stupid idea of releasing the remaining four rabbits in a wooded area, convinced at the time that they would be fine there," she continued. It was a decision that she "deeply regrets".
Criticism rained down on social media. Influencer Laura Maria Rypa also got in touch and wrote that abandoning the animals was "not an unconscious knee-jerk reaction" and asked why a new home was not sought.
The animal welfare organization Peta is now calling for consequences: "Abandoning an animal is a criminal offence, and in the case of the influencer family, legal action must follow as a matter of urgency," it announced. The organization is demanding a ban on keeping animals.
According to the animal shelter, it has filed a complaint and is also demanding that Vosgrau pay the costs incurred "in the four-digit euro range".
According to several German media outlets, some advertising partners have now also ended their cooperation with Vosgrau.
