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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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Richmond Auto Mall
gets creative in dealing with exploding population of rabbits METRO VANCOUVER - The Richmond Auto Mall is moving to address its rabbit overpopulation issue by creating "rabbitats" to house the abandoned pets and their feral offspring, as well as identifying properties that could take the bountiful bunnies. In a news release issued this morning, auto mall association general manager Gail Terry said rabbits are dying daily on the auto mall's road and that a period of heavy construction at the mall threatens to make it even more dangerous for the rabbits. Terry said, however, that government red tape has obstructed the auto mall's plans. "A domestic pet rabbit is reclassified as wildlife as soon as he/she is abandoned. 'Fluffy' can't be recaptured without a permit, and permit applications are only supported with a very, very narrow criteria and an awful lot of red tape," Terry said. The auto mall association is moving ahead with preparing locations to take the rabbits "while the politics sort themselves out," Terry said in the release. "The mall will also be putting out a call for homes to adopt these rabbits and land to host 'rabbitats' while concurrently working on permission to do so." More to come. Update 10/24/12: Brent Gurd, a wildlife biologist for the Ministry, (FLNRO) said the government hasn’t held direct talks about the rabbits with RAM, but notes domestic sanctuaries often run into problems when it comes to long-term funding. “We don’t want to just move these somewhere else, because they are an invasive species. You just create problems for other people.” (Source: 24 Hours) “We just don’t have as many homes as there are rabbits,” said Brent Gurd, who works at B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. “There are feral rabbits everywhere, not just at the Richmond Auto Mall. “If you set up sanctuaries, there are funding issues. “If the funding disappears, you have government responsible for these groups of rabbits. “The best thing to do is make them available to people who want to adopt them.” (The Province) Comment: Rabbit Advocacy recently sent several e-mails to Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations officials regarding various rabbit-related issues. Correspondence included the issue of permits and a “no” to sanctuaries in the South Coast Region, the relocation of rabbits from UVic, the designation of ‘feral’ domestic rabbits under the Wildlife Act, and 4-H Club members and affiliates breeding rabbits for show. Rabbits are also incorporated under livestock bylaws in various municipalities so we have a patchwork of regulations. With little or no regard for the inherent value of these sensitive creatures, we have created the communities we have today. For further updates and news visit: Rabbit Cruelty in Richmond; Minoru Park & Auto Mall rescue efforts; FLNRO position; relocation |