AT least once a week, busy trainee solicitor Toyah Marshall travels from her home in Didsbury to a rabbit rescue centre in North Wales.

On a recent visit, the 24-year-old was accompanied by six baby rabbits she'd taken from a perfectly respectable-looking house after seeing them advertised on a website.

She discovered the rabbits' ears had been neatly cut off, a hideously painful procedure for the animals, whose ears are extremely sensitive.

The 24-year-old said: "When I see rabbits advertised for free it rings alarm bells as snake breeders tend to snap them up as food for their pets.

"I was shocked when I saw their ears. The owner told me the mother had done it, but a vet assured me later that this was impossible and those ears had come off with scissors."

Such treatment cannot always be blamed on ignorance - one of the explanations given this week as to why animal cruelty cases have dramatically increased.

Trimmed

Toyah explains: "The woman I saw used to show rabbits so she knew a lot about them and I have come across a breeder before who "trimmed" the ears to try and pass them off as an interesting breed."

There has been a happy ending for the ear-less bunnies, though, after they taken to Bowden Bunny Rescue in Mold.

"Most have been re-homed, they are wonderful, lovely animals," says Toyah, who has three rabbits of her own, including Homer.

She spends much of her free time raising funds for the rescue centre in between preparing to qualify next month as a solicitor, specialising in employment law.

"I love them because they are so comical and fun to watch. I don't think people realise what fantastic pets they are. But they have to be neutered, otherwise they can get aggressive."

For a devoted rabbit lover like Toyah, and right-minded people everywhere, it is shocking to see the prevalence of animal cruelty in a nation of supposed animal lovers.

Alarming figures from the RSPCA revealed there were 151 convictions for animal cruelty in Greater Manchester during 2005, compared to 75 the previous year, while RSPCA inspectors investigated 6,804 complaints. Horrific cases included a horse starved until his muscles wasted away in Tyldesley.

Compassion

When the RSPCA was founded in 1854, cruelty towards animals was so common no-one batted an eyelid, indeed, compassion for them was regarded as a strange phenomenon. Owners thought they had a God-given right to mistreat their animals.

Our culture has changed dramatically since then to a modern society where pet cemeteries are commonplace, where pets are treated to the same designer clothes as their owners and even get birthday cards and gourmet fare on Christmas Day.

The sentiment for pets can be over the top and the mawkish affection some demonstrate for their animals, to the detriment of family and friends, is absurd. But there are relatively few of these people.

In contrast, animal cruelty is becoming more and more common. And to take comfort in the belief that cruelty is based on ignorance, or to speculate that the conviction rates are up because the RSPCA is getting tougher, is to look at the situation through rose-coloured glasses.

These cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Inspectors are busier than ever because more pet owners are treating animals in an abhorrent manner, just because they feel they have the right to...rather like in Victorian times.

What do you think? Have your say.

A charity wine tasting event will be held at Beluga bar and restaurant, Manchester, on August 17 to raise money for Bowden Bunny Rescue. Tickets, priced é30, which includes a champagne reception followed by wine tasting, quiz and raffle are aviable by calling 07713883259 or email rabbitfundraiser @hotmail.co.uk