DENTON, Md. - Fans were blowing inside a warehouse near the Caroline County Humane Society, keeping furry ears and bodies cool.

But for the bunnies inside, it wasn't always this way. Weeks back, the rabbits were found squirreled underneath a gazebo in Denton. The owners didn't know it then, but the rabbits were not wild, but abandoned pets.

Jay Buchman of the Eastern Shore Rabbit Rescue and Education Center, or ESRREC, says out of the 19 pulled that day, at least three were pregnant.

"The owner probably had left a pair of domestic rabbits out and then they do what rabbits normally do, which is breed," Buchman said.

The resulting newborns bumped the number up to 36 and Buchman says he expects that number to rise as they wait for more maturing bunnies to show signs of pregnancy. Until then, Buchman says they've been slowly neutering and spaying the adults and waiting for the babies to mature before putting them up for adoption.

ESRREC President Cora Dickson says they now need donations to cover the costs to feed and spay-neuter the remaining rabbits.

"This was a first for our organization," Dickson said. "Essentially, they'd rather be indoors living a luxurious life and we hope to do that for them."

ESRREC is hosting a seminar called, "Basic Bunny Care" on June 2 at the Ridgley Firehouse. People will have a chance to meet and handle some of the Denton bunnies and maybe even foster or adopt some of them.