As domestic rabbits hop around swaths of urban land on Vancouver Island, the provincial government is facing calls to create a co-ordinated strategy to address the problem.
The Union of B.C. Municipalities executive passed a resolution last month requesting that the province develop a strategy to address the root causes of feral rabbit abandonment across B.C. It was one of 57 resolutions the union members voted on that didn’t make it to the floor during the convention earlier this year.
Originally brought forward by the District of Saanich, the resolution states that numerous local governments are struggling with the abandonment and rapid breeding of European domestic rabbits that were released and became feral. The resolution states that the current approach lacks co-ordination and funding and says it places responsibility on local governments and “small, underfunded” non-profits.
One non-profit working against the problem is Rabbitats, which has captured and sterilized rabbits as part of what it calls “non-lethal culls,” then released the animals into a fenced-in sanctuary or adopted them out. The group was started in 2011, after founder Sorelle Saidman assisted with the removal of almost 1,000 feral rabbits at University of Victoria the year before.
Saidman told the News Bulletin that while addressing the root causes of rabbit abandonment is one component, the problem has grown beyond that.
“That ship kind of sailed because they didn’t deal with it 12 years ago when we asked for this kind of framework, so now we’re dealing with the rabbits already in the environment,” she said. “When you’re looking at 2,000 rabbits on the Island … they’re not going to go away when you stop someone from dumping a pet, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction if we can keep it from growing.”
One legislative challenge is multiple levels of classification as rabbits are considered wildlife, pets and food, and branches of government haven’t always agreed on which departments are responsibile.
“There needs to be a true partnership framework between the environmental groups, the animal welfare groups, the municipalities, the provincial agriculture division and the provincial wildlife division and I think that’s the only thing that’s going to work,” Saidman said.
She said the proper strategy should include an agency for people to call when stray rabbits are spotted, so they can be captured before breeding, as well as breeder controls and a spay/neuter mandate. She believes culls would be ineffective, since only two rabbits need to survive to reproduce and since not every property owner is going to give access for a lethal cull, the population will always bounce back.
In contrast, Rabbitats has found success with gaining access in its non-lethal culls, and has even received funding from impacted businesses for sterilization procedures in exchange for removing the rabbits which can cause extensive damage to property. Saidman pointed to the Richmond Auto Mall, where Rabbitats re-located about 400 rabbits a decade ago.
“They put up money, they got us to take all of the rabbits, they helped us build a sanctuary and they are still rabbit-free.”
The Fur-Bearers, a non-profit that aims to protect the environment by preserving ecosystems and wildlife, also took note of the UBCM resolution and praised the effort online as a “significant step toward creating support provincewide for communities managing issues related to feral European rabbits.”
Lesley Fox, executive director, told the News Bulletin that domestic breeds aren’t meant to live outdoors and can cause infrastructure and safety concerns as well as damage to landscaping.
“It also creates an animal welfare concern,” she said. “These animals suffer terribly: traffic accidents … disease, it’s no life for a rabbit and there are lots of solutions. The province needs to take leadership on this issue.”