The city of Selkirk is working on resolving an adorable problem.
According to municipal leaders and local residents, the past few years have seen an explosion in the population of domesticated rabbits roaming Selkirk’s streets and lawns, and plans are in place to safely trap and remove the critters.
Selkirk CAO Duane Nicol told Global Winnipeg this is the first year the city has been actively involved in tackling the bunny issue, and the main concern is for the animals’ well-being.
“First and foremost is just the health and care of these animals,” Nicol said. “They were illegally released into the environment.
“In our estimation, this is technically animal abuse — the person who bred the rabbits (isn’t) providing for their safe care, they’re not providing shelter or food, so they’re abusing these animals.”
Nicol said there has been an admission to city staff by an individual who claims to have released the initial pet rabbits into the wild, and the matter has been passed on to provincial law enforcement and Manitoba’s chief veterinary office.
In the meantime, the city is working with a local rescue, Popcorns & Binkies Rescue Haven, to help safely take in the animals and hopefully find them loving homes — as pets, not free-roaming wildlife.
“We want it done in a way that’s different from the way we’d deal with pests, nuisance animals,” he said.
“We’re really concerned with having this many prey animals out in the wild — all that’s going to do is attract predator animals (like) foxes, coyotes…. We do not need predatory species in the urban environment.”
The rabbits, Nicol said, have also caused some property damage, mainly when it comes to stealing vegetables and plants from residents’ backyards.
“They’re cute and lovable and people like to see them, particularly when they’re not in their yard. People can love these rabbits and want to take care of them, but there’s a proper way to do that … providing the proper shelter, the proper environment and food for them.”
Among Selkirk residents, there’s been debate over the fate of the furry invaders, with many saying they love to see the bunnies out and about, but appreciate the need to remove them from the city’s ecosystem.
Resident Jeff Knight told Global Winnipeg that he first noticed the bunnies a few years ago when he was out jogging, and he’s seen a population explosion since then.
“I would go jogging in the area, and it started out as, I think, three of them just a street over … and then slowly over the years, there were more and more until they just kind of started populating the whole area,” Knight said.
“I haven’t had any of my gardens eaten, there hasn’t been any damage to my property or anything. I’m very welcoming of the bunnies.
“I absolutely love having them in the neighbourhood … so I am definitely sad to see them go, but at the same time, I understand that this is the best thing for them to be safe and happy.”
Another Selkirk resident, Travis Brickwood, said he first started noticing the animals a few years ago as well, and has seen their territory expand ever since.
“My mom and dad live a street over, and we started noticing them over there first, before they started coming this way … and then we started noticing them all around here,” he said.
“I think they live under my shed now, and they just kind of pop out.
“They’re just a nuisance. It’s not that I don’t like the bunnies, it’s just overpopulated at this point. I’m looking forward to them being gone — or more under control, anyway.”