A community is hopping into action to locate and rescue a family of rabbits found living on an Esquimalt, B.C. construction site last month.
The mother and her five kits were spotted under the planter boxes of an Aragon Properties condo development on Lampson Street, prompting the community and company to work together.
“We believe that three of them may have been taken by predators, but one was rescued earlier and then (another) one we rescued after,” said Jay Smith, community relations manager for Aragon.
“We haven’t seen the mom for over a week.”
The bunny rescued by the construction team — fittingly named Aragon — has now been fostered, Smith added. The crew has been working with residents to find the others, as they have some exploration and demolition work coming up that could endanger them.
“The excavator guy had one sitting on his lap. All the guys rallied around the bunnies,” Smith told Global News. “We want to make sure they’re safe.”
He said the mother was last spotted about a block away and appeared pregnant, leading to new concerns she might contribute to a local overpopulation problem.
According to Olga Betts, president of Vancouver Rabbit Rescue and Advocacy, rabbits begin breeding at around five months, can have a new litter every month, and live for 10 to 15 years.
She said she suspects many abandoned domestic rabbits were gifted to children who can’t care for them, or purchased by families who don’t understand the extent of a rabbit’s care needs.
“They’re not good pets for children who want to hold something and carry it around. They’re not like that,” she said, adding that rabbits may bite if handled roughly or in excess.
“They’re not good pets if they’re not neutered or spayed. They will tend to mark their territories with feces and urine if they’re not neutered or spayed.”
If the mother is pregnant and delivers, Smith said some are concerned the rabbits may also devour all the goodies in nearby gardens.
“A fence isn’t going to stop them. They’re going to come and eat everything, so the neighbours also want to make sure we can find homes for them and they don’t keep multiplying,” he said.
“We’re trying to track them down.”
Rabbits are the third-most popular pet in North America, after cats and dogs.
Before adopting one, the BC SPCA has warned that would-be owners should prepare for up to 15 years of commitment, and behaviour similar to that of a feral rabbit.
“Rabbits are a prey species. In the wild, they either freeze on the spot or run for cover when they’re frightened. As pets, they do the same,” it said in an April 3 release.
“To feel secure, your rabbit needs a shelter she can retreat to, whether she’s in her enclosure or out free in a room.”
Earlier this month, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation also warned about an invasive colony of rabbits near Jericho Beach, whose ranks have swelled with abandoned or escaped pets.
Rabbits can threaten other native species, it said at the time, by out-competing them for food and space, while potentially damaging ecosystems, disrupting food sources and introducing parasites.
Under threat of fines, it reminded the public not to feed wild rabbits. It also warned residents not to touch them, which can both distress the critters and put people at risk of bites and scratches, as well as parasites such as ticks, which can carry Lyme Disease.
— with files from Kylie Stanton and Simon Little
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