Lower Mainland residents who think they’re seeing a lot more rabbits than usual this summer are probably right, advocates said.
Sorelle Saidman, founder and president of the Rabbitats Rescue Society, which operates two micro-sanctuaries in Langley, has been warning the rabbit population, much of it consisting of former pets that have been set loose, is growing out of control.
“We were saying that for the European rabbits, the point of no return was going to be 2025,” Saidman observed. “If we didn’t control the European populations, it was going to be almost impossible.”
Abandoned and escaped European and Eastern Cottontail rabbits are both classified as invasive species that can cause significant environmental and property damage.
While an exact estimate of their numbers is difficult to calculate, colonies as large as 2,000 have been discovered in some Lower Mainland communities.
“Every 10 years, the rabbit populations, European rabbit populations, really will explode,” Saidman told the Langley Advance Times. “They just seem to go into overdrive every decade. It usually takes four years before anybody actually notices and reports on it and tries to do something about it.”
Lesley Fox, executive director of The Fur-Bearers, blames a lack of regulations around breeding and the widespread selling of unsterilized rabbits, and a lack of education for pet owners.
Fur-Bearers, with the City of Saanich, has been pressing the provincial government for more rabbit regulation, a proposal that was adopted by the Union of B.C. Municipalities last year.
“The province needs to first regulate and crack down on breeders,” Fox said.
“Second, end rabbit sales through pet stores and online platforms, and make it mandatory that anybody who wants a rabbit should be working through a reputable rescue group like the SPCA. Rabbits should be spayed and neutered before they’re adopted out.”
Fox said the provincial reaction has been disappointing.
“It was a very discouraging response in that the province just simply defers any responsibility to municipalities.”
Most of the rabbits seen in front and back yards and gardens are domestic rabbits, not native to B.C.
“I think oftentimes they’re marketed as, you know, sort of a starter pet or a children’s pet. And then they end up in a hutch outside for the rest of their lives,” Fox said.
“Or sometimes, and what we’re experiencing, is they’re simply dumped. And people turn their pet loose, whether it’s in a park or at a shopping mall, to survive on their own.”
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