A Macomb County Sheriff’s Office (MI) deputy saved baby rabbits after a caller reported witnessing them being thrown out of a car window in a plastic bag.

The call came in around 7 p.m. on April 29, and upon arrival, the deputy found the plastic bag was tied closed with multiple knots, including one tied around a rabbit’s neck.

The sheriff's office said the baby rabbits were cut off from air because the bag was tied up airtight.

The deputy could not untie the knots and used a key to rip a hole in the bag to allow air for the rabbits, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Department of Natural Resources put the sheriff’s deputy in touch with the Detroit Animal Welfare Group, a non-profit, no-kill, animal sanctuary in Romeo.

The deputy took the eight rabbits to the facility, but one rabbit was already deceased.

Kelly LaBonty, Detroit Animal Welfare Group director, said the rabbits were approximately 1-2 weeks old and would have been unable to live on their own without care from their mother or rehabilitation efforts.

“The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office takes situations of animal abuse and mistreatment very seriously,” stated Sheriff Wickersham. “I commend Deputy Taylor Dibble for diligently answering the call and giving these animals a chance at life.”