Vegan activist who claimed to have 'rescued' 14 rabbits in violent raid actually caused the death of 90 other bunnies
A vegan activist who had reportedly "rescued" 14 rabbits from a rabbit farm in Spain last week resulting in a violent backlash from farmers is allegedly responsible for the death of nearly 100 rabbits.
The British activist, known as Mythical Mia on Instagram, was left covered in blood last week, claiming angry farmers had shot at her car after she attempted to flee the area, leaving her with a bloodied face.
Mia, while addressing her over 40,000 followers in an Instagram video, had said she entered a rabbit farm in Gurb, Osona, and "rescued" the rabbits, according to our earlier report.
Latest reports, however, state that several of the animals she had "rescued" from the farm had just given birth, which left dozens of rabbits stranded without a mother. In the absence of feeding mothers, around 90 of the newborns had to be put down, La Vanguardia reported. The outlet added that five additional pregnant rabbits died during the raid, while others are believed to be suffering from broken spines.
Although Mia claimed that she "rescued 16 lives", Catalonia police stated that a total of 14 rabbits were taken from the farm. Authorities also said that her car's window was likely struck by a "forceful object" and her injuries were from the impact on the glass rather than a shot from a shotgun.
"The police came and told us to leave peacefully, which we did. After we left, the farmers chased us down the motorway at [124mph] for an hour," she said in the video.
"We tried to lose them down a side road but they were on our tails. They blocked us into a dead end and surrounded the car with five other farmers' cars. We called the police who arrived after an hour. They diffused the situation and escorted us to a 'safe place'. We asked them to escort us home but they refused and said we would be okay. They let us go and 10 minutes later back on the motorway one of their cars pulled up alongside us and shot at us."
"The window exploded in my face and there was a lot of blood from all the glass," Mia added. "Despite everything, I am just happy that those 16 lives are free from harm. They make everything worth it."
A spokesperson for Catalonia police, Mossos d'Esquadra, however, released a statement after the incident, saying: "The events took place on Sunday, September 1 at 7.30 p.m. A group of activists entered a farm in Gurb, Osona, and took 14 rabbits. When Mossos d'Esquadra arrived at the site, the activists were already outside the farm. The 14 hidden rabbits were not found."
"At the same time a group of farmers appeared and there were moments of tension on the part of both groups," she added. "Mossos separated them and made people march to the place. First and foremost to avoid further conflicts. Towards 11 pm they informed us that one of the cars of the activists has denounced that they have suffered an impact on the glass and that due to the broken glasses a girl had injuries to the face. Mossos d'Esquadra discarded that it was a shotgun shot of the impact of the glass, but it is a forceful object," the statement added.