Time to ramp up rabbit trapping
by Wayne Moore - Castanet Story: 44487
Jan 24, 2009 / 4:00 pm

At least one Kelowna Councillor wants the city to ramp up live trapping of wild rabbits within city boundaries.

Charlie Hodge has asked staff to report back on the feasibility of asking the contractor to step up trapping and adoption of the remaining rabbit population and asking other groups, including TRACS, to become involved if needed.

"It is imperative that we deal with this now, within the next month to six weeks. I would like to see this resolved long before the contract is supposed to end in June, or I think we are going to be in a no-win catch up scenario again," says Hodge.

"I would like to see staff come back next week if they could with a report and giving us some direction on how we could go about stepping it up and perhaps asking other organizations to get involved."

Hodge says he doesn't think the city can afford to continue the rabbit hunt much longer, from both a financial and emotional situation.

EBB Environmental Consulting was awarded a $54,000 contract in June of 2008 to eliminate the wild rabbit population, then estimated at about 1,000.

According to figures released by Urban Forestry Supervisor, Ian Wilson, 427 rabbits have been killed using air rifles while another 130 have been live trapped and either euthanized or adopted out.

A recent survey found just 29 rabbits along Enterprise Way, however, Wilson says EBB estimates there are approximately 150 in that area.

Wilson warns that population could explode again very soon.

"We expect to see the same (breeding) cycle and that's why we really would want to get on top of this now so we don't go on with this issue," says Wilson.

"We would like to get on top of it between March and April and do our best with the contractor to try to remove every single animal if we can."

Wilson says there is about $12,000 left to be paid out in the contract with EBB and indicates once those funds have been paid out, the contractor will cease doing the work.

He adds the cost breakdown of live trapping the rabbits works out to approximately $78 per rabbit while the cost of using an air rifle breaks down to about $17 per bunny.

Wilson says EBB asked to go back to using air rifles because live trapping is not as effective and is more costly with the dwindling population.

Council indicated it was not comfortable with that option.

The City would have to come up with additional funds for sterilization, pens and on-going maintenance in order to adopt out the remaining rabbits.

Wilson will come before council in the next week or two with cost breakdowns on options pertaining to stepping up the live trapping.

Meantime, Wilson indicated at least one retail store in Kelowna was selling rabbits that were not sterilized, contravening a new municipal bylaw requiring all rabbits be spayed or neutered before being put up for sale.