Saanich is calling on the province to deal with its growing feral rabbit problem as residents in the region start to see a new spike.
Council agreed to ask the AVICC and UBCM to back municipalities calling for a provincewide strategy on rabbits, pitched by Coun. Teale Phelps Bondaroff.
It鈥檚 a longstanding issue locally, he noted during the Feb. 3 meeting where the request became official, recalling the European rabbit issue that plagued the University of Victoria and View Royal traffic prone to colonies of rabbits and hares ditched on Highway 1.
鈥淎s it stands, the responsibility for addressing feral rabbit populations falls largely on the shoulders of individual municipalities with the support of small, underfunded not-for-profits. This is an expensive proposition, and actors often lack the resources to effectively address the problem. As an example, when the University of Victoria worked to remove feral rabbit populations from campus in 2010, it cost as much as $348 per rabbit,鈥� Phelps Bondaroff noted in his motion to council.
He鈥檚 recently heard from residents flagging the issue near Elk and Beaver Lake Park as well as Royal Oak. One resident told council they鈥檇 tried repellants, scare tactics and trapping after a growing rabbit population caused close to $2,000 in damage to vegetation on Elk Lake Drive.
鈥淭he vast majority of these are pets that have been abandoned intentionally or pets that have been bred and created more bunnies 鈥� they do breed like themselves,鈥� he said, noting it鈥檚 a provincial issue.
The rabbits most commonly seen in B.C. are wild European and eastern cottontail rabbits, a non-native species. These rabbits are often pets that have been released into the wild and once they鈥檙e out, they mate like rabbits.
In 2022, facing an abundance of bunnies in B.C., the province changed regulations in an attempt to control the feral rabbit population. The Wildlife Act no longer allows European and eastern cottontail rabbits to be relocated or released into the wild. It also removed the need for permits before trafficking, possessing or exporting European rabbits, captive or not, removing permit requirements for municipalities or other groups to trap and transport rabbits to rehab centres or homes, or euthanize them.
That leaves them open to inhumane treatment, Phelps Bondaroff noted.
The 鈥渋nvasive and feral animals鈥� come with environmental concerns over disease, and competition with native species for food, shelter and water.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease is a highly contagious and lethal disease found in rabbits on Vancouver Island in 2018. While this illness poses no direct risk to humans, it can spread to native species.
The invasive species of rabbits also burrow causing walking hazards, erosion and infrastructure damage, he added.
Abandoning pet rabbits in the wild remains a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada and an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
In Saanich, a bylaw requires sterilization for the sale of rabbits, Phelps Bondaroff noted. That鈥檚 not true everywhere.
鈥淏unnies just hop across jurisdictions and it becomes a huge challenge for individual municipalities to address this problem,鈥� Phelps Bondaroff said. 鈥淯ltimately the challenge you run into is you need a provincial leadership there. It鈥檚 an offence to abandon rabbits, so the laws are already in place.鈥�
The Saanich motion calls for the Association of Vancouver Island and 台湾MM裸聊室 Communities and the Union of BC Municipalities to urge the provincial government to develop a coordinated, province-wide strategy to address the root causes of feral rabbit abandonment across B.C.
The resolution also garnered a letter of support from the BC SPCA.
The issue is set to be debated at the Association of Vancouver Island and 台湾MM裸聊室 Communities during the annual general meeting and convention April 11 to 13 in Nanaimo. AVICC could then forward the resolution to the Union of BC Municipalities convention from Sept. 16 to 20 for potential advocacy.
