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Police report details teens' animal cruelty arrests after Snapchat video shows bunny being thrown

The arrest report for three teen girls, who were charged with animal cruelty after a Snapchat video showing a bunny being thrown around a room, was released Tuesday.

Police were alerted after the video was posted on Snapchat and then shared on Facebook. The girls were arrested Saturday.

The resilient rabbit is doing better as it recovers at Nassau County Animal Services.

Video of its abuse has gone viral and has captivated the world, with a headline in England that reads "Sick girls abuse pet rabbit."

In the video, the rabbit is held by the throat and thrown against a bedroom wall numerous times by three Nassau County teenagers. The rabbit suffered a fractured leg and possibly a broken pelvis.

According to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened at a house on Lina Road in Fernandina Beach.

Action News Jax stopped by the home and heard people inside, but no one came to the door. The police report said the 14-year-old who lives at the house was shown on the video trying to "kick at the rabbit as it tried to get away."

We went to the house of the two other girls; their grandmother said she didn't want to talk. But the police report says the 14-year-old who lives at that home is heard "laughing" throughout the video. She told police she thought it was "funny" but now realizes it was "probably wrong."

The third girl, a 13-year-old, said she was just "going along with her friends."

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"It’s just heartbreaking" said Leslie Gillette, the veterinarian at Nassau County Animal Control. She's been nursing the 6 to 9-month-old rabbit back to health ever since it came in Saturday.

"Animals aren't disposable, you don't just throw them out," Gillette said.

The resilient rabbit will be taken to Tampa for surgery.

"He's eating hay and got his water," Gillette said.

"It could be a rocky recovery for him," Gillette said. "If it's a pelvis fracture, they do well with cage rest but if it's a femoral fracture, what you don't want to have happen is those fractures (to heal incorrectly." If that happens, "he's going to have a lifetime of discomfort and arthritis."

"It’s pretty amazing, hope it’s one (story) that will have a happy ending," said Gillette, who tells Action News Jax the rabbit is being called "Mr. Fuzzy Pants."

The State Attorney's Office had to clear the rabbit to go to Tampa for surgery because the rabbit is considered evidence in a criminal investigation. Once the bunny has surgery, it's expected to be taken to a rabbit rescue ranch in Naples.