Las Cruces officer rescues tiny bunnies while securing shootout scene

A Las Cruces police officer assisting with the investigation into a shootout earlier this week made a rescue that his colleagues say “no bunny expected.”

Officer Josh Herrera discovered a pair of tiny cottontail rabbits perched “precariously” on a short concrete wall behind a Home Depot store while he combed through the aftermath of the shooting scene on Monday morning.

Herrera, a 10-year veteran of the police force, said the bunnies were covered in ants and appeared vulnerable. He cleaned them up and placed the pair underneath bush in the hopes the mother rabbit would find her bunnies.

But when he checked on the bunnies again a half-hour later, there was no sign of mom and the pair were again covered in ants.

After Herrera cleaned off the ants once more, he placed the two young rabbits in his safety vest and summoned a wildlife group for help.

The Stick House Sanctuary, an El Paso-based wildlife rehabilitation facility, picked up the Las Cruces bunnies and is currently taking care of them.

In Facebook postings Wednesday, both police and the sanctuary indicated the young rabbits seem to be doing well.

“We are so grateful for the Las Cruces Police Department who took time to save lives while in the middle of an active investigation involving a shootout towards their own officers,” the sanctuary said in its posting. “Thank them today for protecting all lives in your community.”