Chessington World of Adventures was reportedly forced to turn away a cardboard box of baby rabbits left abandoned in its car park.
The young house animals were apparently discovered by a member of the public, who approached staff at the park.
A barrage of comments criticising the park’s decision to turn the rabbits away have been left on the park’s Facebook page today.
In a statement, the park said: “We understand and sympathise with people’s concerns about these animals, however we operate under strict Zoo licensing regulations and as such stringent restrictions are in place with regards to bringing animals into the Zoo.
“Taking in animals from the wild may threaten the welfare of our own animals, many of which are highly endangered species.
“It would be irresponsible of us to take in any animals as we do not have the necessary quarantine facilities.
“In this case we recommended that the animals be taken to a shelter or similar organisation which would be better equipped to look after them.
“Because we care deeply about animal welfare, we will be reviewing our protocol with regard to facilitating contact with relevant organisations should such situations arise in the future.”
Chessington’s zoo remains open during the winter months when the the main theme park is closed.