Letter: Control rabbits, don't kill them
Times Colonist
Tuesday, September 09, 2008

PHOTO: The University of Victoria is launching a campaign asking students to stop feeding rabbits on campus. A letter-writer suggests spaying and neutering the feral animals.

The rabbits have been part of UVic's branding for many years. Everyone agrees that the bunnies are domesticated when they arrive at the university and that this continues as they are fed. Regardless of the education program, most people will ignore the call not to feed them, because they will see that as an offence under animal control legislation by knowingly bringing suffering or harm to an animal.

Many organic products exist which target the rabbits' fear response. The products use scents of predator urine to deter bunnies from a given area. The cost of this product to control rabbits on the sport fields would be a small investment to avoid a rabbit cull.

Excellent examples of large organizations dealing with a feral animal population are provided by both CFB Esquimalt and CFB Halifax. The committee set up to address the feral cat population at both bases came up with a plan that saw every department on each base contribute funds, which were used to spay and neuter the feral cats. Some were released back into the areas on the bases and others put up for adoption. Representatives from each base negotiated a lower cost to perform the operations with local vets. I know, because I was one of the committee members.

Can't a smaller operation such as UVic do the same?

William Perry
Victoria