Leona Lewis Rescues Bunny From Becoming Dinner

Singer Leona Lewis is being hailed as a hero amongst animal lovers today, after saving a sweet white bunny from becoming someone's dinner.

While out shopping on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles last week, Lewis noticed a homeless man sitting with a bunny on a leash, the U.K.'s The Sun reports. When she asked him what he planned to do with the furry critter, he reportedly replied, "Don't know – probably eat it." Fearing for the rabbit's life, Lewis asked the man to sell her the animal, and he requested $20. Instead, she gave him a $100 bill, asking that he use it to buy food.

Lewis then took the bunny home, naming it Melrose in remembrance of the day's events. A friend of the British singer tells The Sun that the rabbit will now have run of her gardens in Los Angeles and London — without the fear of being turned into stew!

PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2008, Lewis has been recognized for her stance on animal rights before, famously turning down an offer of 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) from Harrods to open their summer sale last year because the store sold fur. The singer is also mom to a rottweiler named Rome and an adopted horse.

More animal rescue stories from PEOPLE Pets:
Five-Legged Puppy Spared from Freak-Show Life
British Puppy Survives Not-So-Royal Flush Down the Toilet

Kate Hogan