Alexander Berardi Bunny Stolen By Cowboy Bandits

Bunny Stolen From Clothing Store

Today in Strange Fashion News, a live bunny rabbit has been stolen out of a shopkeeper's window by cowboy bandits.

Racked reports, via Queerty, that fashion designer Alexander Berardi lost one of his pet bunnies, Ms. Cooper, on Thursday evening when someone lifted her from her pen around 8:30pm. Ms. Cooper and Jack, Berardi's other rabbit, typically spend their days in the front window of the store, which is lined with grass, and act as the adorably welcoming mascots of Berardi's Soho boutique.

DNAinfo confirms that the thieves were clad in Western gear, with the woman in a white cowboy hat and the man in a black one (and a "handlebar mustache"). Christopher Kulukundis, designer at Alexander Berardi, told DNAinfo that the man was a regular customer. "The man says the same thing every time, 'Every time I'm in the area, I've got to come in and see the bunny,'" Kulunkundis told DNAinfo. "A lot of people come to see the bunnies, though, so it didn't seem out of the ordinary."

But Berardi, who was not in the store at the time, tells Queerty, "As soon as Chris turned away, [Ms. Cooper] was gone."

So sad! Who would dare steal an adorable bunny, much less one beloved by an entire neighborhood? Berardi tells DNAinfo, "People come in all the time just to pet the rabbits." (Including, apparently, Christy Turlington and Bethenny Frankel.)

DNAinfo confirmed that the kidnap is being investigated by the NYPD.

UPDATE, 3/19/12: The bunny has been found and returned! The New York Daily News reports that a homeless man named Thomas Smith got together with Andrea Ruggieri and nabbed the bunny because he “wanted something to love.” Ms. Cooper was returned this past weekend to the 1st Precinct stationhouse in Manhattan.

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