A disfigured rabbit was found in Marlow in what appears to be a string of pet killings in Bucks.

The body of a black rabbit was found in the town at 8am on Friday, April 13 – the same day that horrified neighbours in Burnham discovered the maimed body of a pet cat – Tasha – in their back garden.

Animal rescue group South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) said vets confirmed both animals had been killed by a human being rather than another animal.

The rabbit has been described as being either a baby or dwarf, and black with grey paw pads.

SNARL said was linking the two incidents to the notorious M25 cat killer who is thought to have killed hundreds of animals in the past few years – mainly cats, but also rabbits and foxes – and is still believed to be on the loose.

Co-founder Boudicca Rising said the group was asking residents in Burnham to check any CCTV footage for anything suspicious and contact SNARL or the police if they spot anything.

She added that the group had not been able to find an owner for the rabbit.

She said: “It’s awful and it’s continuing.

“Tasha’s owner is not holding up very well. She is very distressed.

“The bunny could be a wild rabbit as we have not been able to find any owners for it.”

Tasha’s owners, who did not want to be named, paid tribute to their beloved pet, shared by SNARL on its Facebook page, saying she had brought them “so much pleasure and love” over the past 14 years they had her.

The news comes after the mutilated bodies of two cats were found in Marlow last month, including one near the Marlow Day Nursery and Marlow CofE Infant School, in what appears to be a murder spree by the M25 cat killer.

The feline killer was first dubbed the Croydon cat killer and is feared to have decapitated hundreds of cats around London and surrounding areas over the past few years in a trail of devastation.

The murder spree is believed to have started in the south London district of Croydon in October 2015, with the killer luring the victims with food and then bludgeoning them to death, often leaving the bodies outside owners’ homes for them to find.