Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters

Biologist says city may have to consider a rabbit cull  

July 5, 2012 By Tamara Cunningham, Daily News  

Nanaimo's feral rabbit population will continue to boom if city officials don't consider culling the critters soon, says a wildlife biologist with the B.C. Ministry of Forests. 

The number of the wild bunnies in Nanaimo continues to soar, with nothing to keep their population in check. Mild winters haven't helped, with people reporting seeing more rabbits grazing on golf courses and city parks than ever before.

Sean Pendergast, a wildlife biologist with Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, hasn't done any official rabbit counts but says he's seeing a lot of young this year and "an awful lot of adult rabbits" across the city. 

People are releasing their pets into the wild and feeding the animals, helping to expand a population that already has few predators to keep them in check. There also seems to be a larger winter survival rate and that is something to be concerned about, he said. 

Vancouver Island University has been monitoring its rabbits and counted 65 on Wednesday. The number is consistent with what researchers have seen in previous months. 

Liz Gillis, the professor in the resource management officers technology program, says the population seems to be under control on campus, but she doesn't discount an increase in other areas of the city. Communities across B.C. are seeing population overruns, she said. 

Rabbits are not native to the province and if left unchecked can damage rare Gary Oak ecosystems, create tripping hazards and ruin the integrity of city infrastructure. 

The issue has Pendergast encouraging city officials to consider a capture and euthanasia program for the rabbits before they become a greater problem. "I'd say this is something to worry about," Pendergast said. "Rabbits should not be in Nanaimo, period, so any number is above what the normal should be." 

The City of Nanaimo created a bylaw last year that fines people for abandoning or feeding rabbits, but there is no consideration of a control program and staff members are not aware of any growth in the local rabbit population.  

Fri., 07/06/12 at 6:39 pm Carmina Gooch: Same old, same old - intolerance & kill culture in government. Any excuse to reach for the gun. Whatever happened to prevention strategies and learning to co-exist with other species? Whether it’s deer, bears, or rabbits, it’s pretty much a given that those with authority will find a justification to execute.

Note: Sean Pendergast was one of the contacts in 2010 when the UVic rabbit rescue/relocation was undertaken. At that time he also indicated a clear and strong preference for lethal measures. When about thirty of the Coombs rabbits were shot after venturing onto a neighbour’s property, Ministry of Environment spokesperson, David Currie, referred to rabbits as rats. “They’re actually the same thing. They’re an invasive species and they’re a pest.” Parksville Qualicum News 10/11/10.  In recent correspondence with Brent Gurd, FLNR, regarding non-lethal options for Lower Mainland rabbit populations such as those at the Richmond Auto Mall, he said that the Ministries’ position is “only support for humane euthanasia or export to the US.” Huh?  

Read more: Pasteurellosis and other illnesses; food pyramid; 2018 deadly rabbit virus hits mid-Van. Island