A STOWAWAY rabbit, who thought it had made a great escape from its home in picturesque Devon, met a tragic end after an epic 300-mile journey.
The wild rabbit had hitched a lift with a Halifax family returning home from their holiday in Devon but was caught in the jaws of a neighbour's cat before it could adjust to its new life in Calderdale.
The Brown family from Pippin Court, Ovenden, Halifax, had been to the Haven holiday camp in Devon, when they returned to their home in the family car - a Ford Mondeo.
After they unloaded their car and unpacked their suitcases, seven-year-old daughter Maisie saw a rabbit pop out from under the car.
Father-of-three Rod Brown said: "There were lots of rabbits everywhere. We came home on Friday night and my daughter spotted a rabbit running about.
"It ran around the car and then it was gone, back into the engine."
Mr Brown called the RSPCA, who dispatched an officer on August 8 to try to get the rabbit out.
"She couldn't get into the engine so she gave me a net to try to catch it. It ended up with me and about 12 kids standing in the street trying to catch it if it came out," said Mr Brown.
Andy Robbins, from the RSPCA, said the officer did not have the right equipment to dismantle the engine.
"As the rabbit didn't appear to be injured and in urgent need of assistance, she left a net with the car owner if he saw the rabbit and was able to catch it."
He said it was "remarkable" the pet made the cross-country trip.
He added the rabbit was lucky it was a new car. "Modern car engines also don't heat up like old engines, so it is possible for animals to stow away without coming to harm," said Mr Robbins.
The rabbit's freedom was short-lived. On one of its excursions from the engine, it met a grisly end at the jaws of the neighbour's cat - putting an end to his dreams of a new life in Halifax.
By Ruth Mosalski
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