"Employees discovered a bag in the children's zoo that hadn't been there before, and when they looked inside, they found a live guinea pig nestled between blankets and two heads of cabbage," said Inari Leiman, curator of Tallinn Zoo's children's zoo, recounting how Cosette, a guinea pig abandoned by a family moving abroad, ended up at the zoo. "Our veterinarian examined her, and we estimate she is around 3-4 years old, a female, perhaps slightly overweight. The sad part is how she was abandoned without telling anyone."

Leiman emphasized that such behavior is unacceptable. "If there is really an issue, come and talk to us and we will try to find a solution together," she added.

Although many people have offered to provide a home for Cosette, she will remain a zoo animal, joining a group of guinea pigs who were also surrendered after uncontrolled breeding made them unmanageable for their previous owners. Cosette is not the only abandoned pet at the zoo.

"We have had a silkie rooster left at our gate at night. Another time, a musk duck was thrown over the fence. It had been fed a high-calorie diet, likely grains, bread or porridge, which caused its wing joints to twist out of alignment permanently," Leiman explained. "We've also received abandoned rabbits. One turtle was found in a Lasnamäe trash bin when it was very young, likely freshly hatched."

Non-profit Varjupaikade MTÜ, which operates eight shelters, acknowledges that alongside abandoned dogs and cats, they are increasingly receiving small animals often left at their gates or found near dumpsters.

"We've had rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, even African giant snails. There has been a snake. We recently took in a sugar glider. Parrots are quite common as well," listed Anni Anete Mõisamaa, the communications manager for the NGO.

"The more popular a particular species becomes, the more often we see them arriving at the shelter," she explained.

Mõisamaa also noted that acquiring small animals in Estonia is quite easy: "For example, you might go to a hardware store to pick up something for your home – wallpaper or whatever – and then grab a rabbit from one of the aisles."

While it is generally easier to find new homes for exotic small animals, shelters are primarily filled with abandoned or stray cats, whose rehoming process often takes longer. Some cats have endured severe hardships before reaching the shelter.

"Recently, there was a cat abandoned in such a manner that it was placed in a cardboard box, with the word 'CAT' written on it in large letters. The box had been there for at least 24 hours, and the cat was in a state of complete shock, lying motionless," Mõisamaa recounted. "Fortunately, the cat is doing well now, but this situation could have ended very, very badly."

Black-and-white cats, in particular, have to work the hardest to win over potential adopters, as, for some reason, they are the least wanted by people.

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