Interior B.C. cities on brink of bunny boom

Several cities in the Okanagan have a cute little problem that many residents think is getting out of control.

In Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, bunnies are everywhere, grazing along the side of major highways, hopping down city streets and just passing the time on neighbourhood lawns.

The problem is at its worst in residential north Kelowna, where the furry creatures aredigging up the grass and eating trees in George Keim's front yard.

Keim told CBC News that he lived in his house for 13 years without a rabbit problem, then "all of a sudden, one year, bang! We've got rabbits!"

The problem got so bad last year, there were between 40 and 60 rabbits in his yard on any given day, Keim said.

Keim said he won't let his grandson play on the front lawn because rabbit feces are everywhere.

Recently, the residents on his street pooled their money and installed a fence between the neighbourhood and a nearby vacant lot, which is home to many of the rabbits. But even with the wire fence, rabbits managed to get through.

Now Keim wants the city to act. "The city has to do something. I phone, I can't get no answers from nobody."

Another neighbour, Jason Stotes, agreed it is time the municipal government stepped in.

"I would like them to take some control over the rabbits. People drop them off next to us. They run all over our lawn. They dig everything up. Our community, we put up a fence to keep them out of here, and it doesn't seem to be working," Stotes said.

If nothing is done, the situation could get worse, according to some experts. A rabbit breeder from Summerland, Roxane Woldenga, estimated there could be almost 5,000 rabbits running wild in the Kelowna area.

"Right now, Kelowna's population is at a critical-mass point. It's contained by roads or buildings. However, the rabbits have now reached a population they have no choice but to migrate outwards. It will be almost exponential expansion."

She has warned the city of Kelowna that the bunny populationhas reacheda critical point, and she said local authorities need to trap and relocate the animals before the population gets right out of control.

"If they start spreading into farmland, the Okanagan will be overwhelmed," Woldenga said. "The European domestic rabbit isn't meant to live feral in our urban society. In the urban setting, there's not enough food. They will eat their way to the next field, and the one after that."

Afemale can give birth every 31 days, having aboutseven bunnies in each litter, bumping the population up from two to 70 in a year, Woldenga said.

She said she understands why city officials are reluctant to take strong measures to control the rabbit population.

"We were raised on images of Bugs Bunny, Thumper and the Velveteen Rabbit. It must be political suicide to be seen signing the death warrants for these little bunnies. The bunny killer! Who wants to be seen as that?

"If these were snakes, we wouldn't be having this conversation. They would have been trapped years ago!"

'Rabbit relocation'

So instead of a cull, Woldenga is advocating a program of "rabbit relocation." She said the bunnies should be rounded up, separated by gender and then relocated to live out the rest of their lives, without the opportunity to reproduce.

The City of Kelowna has hired a consultant to study the rabbit population and make recommendations. But parks manager Joe Creron maintained it's not the city's responsibility to cull or control the rabbits.

"The city is responsible for its park land, and we should take care of that, but the private owners are responsible for their own private property," Creron said.

"So if they have a rabbit problem on their property, they should take care of that."

"I think the [property owner] goes to a pest company, the pest company will help trap them. It's no different than mice," Creronsaid. "We all have a responsibility here, and the government can't do everything for everyone on their private property."

The city is also expecting some of the rabbits to die during the winter, and it's hoping that will cut down the population. The consultant will make a presentation to city council in the New Year.