An 11-year-old girl’s rabbit was stolen from its cage at the Marin County Fair on the Fourth of July and was still missing as of Friday, according to fair officials.

This is the first reported case of animal theft at the fair, said county Department of Cultural Services spokeswoman Libby Garrison.

The rabbit, a white Mini-Lop named Snowball, was taken from the “Fur and Feathers” tent on Thursday afternoon. Snowball had been raised by the girl since its birth.

“This is not only a devastation for the little girl but for our fair which strives to showcase and teach the public responsible animal care and handling and has an award-winning reputation in the agriculture community,” said Gabriella Calicchio, county director of cultural services. “We hope the community will rally together to help find the rabbit and return it home safe and sound.”

Fair officials say they were notified about the theft by a fairgoer. Sandi Olson of Novato was in the Fur and Feathers tent around the time the theft happened and witnessed the aftermath after the empty cage was discovered by a staffer.

A witness told Olson she saw a woman open up the cage, put the rabbit into a large bag or purse that had a design with bright flowers on it and quickly leave the tent. A tent staffer then began to cry and talk about how heartbroken the owner will be when she finds out her bunny has been stolen. A staffer then informed everyone about the theft and asked them to leave the tent, Olson said.

“It kind of ruined the rest of the evening for me even though I enjoyed the Abba performance very much,” Olson said. “All I could think about was this poor rabbit. How unfair to the family of the little girl who raised him and the rabbit itself. To think that someone would do something like that, which is unheard of in Marin.”

In response to the theft, the fair is now limiting the number of people allowed in the tent at one time.

“We have also consolidated the animals to one area of the tent and are reviewing additional ways to keep the animals safe and secure,” Garrison said.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Brenton Schneider said the department is in contact with the fair office and the rabbit’s owners and will be able to provide further information in the near future.

The theft is concerning for Lisa Bloch of Marin Humane because rabbits are fragile animals that can scare easily, even to the point of death. Rabbits’ backs can also be easily injured if they are not picked up or handled correctly, Bloch said.

Bloch said the case is the first rabbit theft she has heard of. She said anyone who finds the rabbit can call Marin Humane’s hotline at 415-883-4621.

Anyone with information on the missing rabbit can also call the fair office at 415-473-6400.

“First thing is we would hope whoever stole it would return the rabbit,” Bloch said.