Kelowna suspends use of air rifles to cull rabbits

Kelowna city council has told the company it hired to cull the city's feral rabbits to suspend the use of air rifles following a media report that workers killed the animals inhumanely.

EBB Environmental Consulting Inc. was given the one-year contract in May to eliminate about 2,000 rabbits after local residents complained that the animals had swarmed the city's lawns and parks in recent years.

CBC News reported this week that workers were seen repeatedly stomping on a rabbit's head apparently because it was still alive after being shot by an air rifle. A worker then broke its neck to finish the job.

City parks manager Joe Creron issued a news release Wednesday saying a review of rabbit management techniques is underway and the use of air rifles has been suspended.

"The City of Kelowna has requested that EBB Environmental Consulting suspend the use of air rifles in its rabbit control program as of Sept. 30," Creron said.

Gwenda Garrett, a security guard working in the city, told CBC News on Monday that while on patrol Saturday morning, she saw a contract worker shooting a feral rabbit, then two workers stomping on the animal's head.

"It was still flopping around because it didn't die yet. Then the driver of the truck went over and stomped on it twice and it still didn't die. And then he crouched down and I believe I watched him break the rabbit's neck," she said.

She reported the case to Kelowna RCMP, who are still investigating to see whether there is evidence of animal cruelty, Const. Steve Holmes said Monday.

EBB has said the rabbit in question was dead or close to death and its muscles were twitching, so the worker simply broke its neck to put it down.

Kelowna city council is spending $54,000 on a one-year contract to get rid of the animals.