The rabbit population becomes a problem in Victoria BC.

by altrugon | March 26, 2008 at 08:25 pm
1762 views | 1 Recommendation | 3 comments

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The rabbit population becomes a problem in Victoria BC.

The rabbit population becomes a problem in Victoria BC.

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This is not the first time that the rabbit population goes out of control and becomes a problem for human life. It is now happening in Victoria BC. and a solution needs to be found before it turns into a problem of the size of Australian rabbit problem.

One of the solutions that has been propose is to spay/neuter them, and as soon I heard it I couple of questions came to my mind:

  • Where is the benefit of this solution?
  • How long is the post-operation period going to be?
  • Who are going to do this operations?
  • Isn't this quite expensive?
  • How much time a veterinarian needs to dedicate for each rabbit?
  • And... who is going to pay for it?

Well, as a public problem the money will come from our public pockets, I guess, and if this is the case I don't think am going to be the only one unhappy watching how our taxes are wasted. Veterinarians are very expensive, after all, they are doctors and I doubt there would even be enough workers to make a dent in the problem.

The rabbits need to be hunted in order to keep the population under control, and we are not going to waste their lives just for no reason. At the same time there are a lot of people suffering of hunger in this world.  The rabbit is a delicious meat and very well acepted in different culture so if the solution passes through our taxes, why we don't capture these animals and we feed those one who really need it? The cost of shipping the animals overseas may be less expensive, not to mention the fact that we could feed people in our own country who need help.

What do you think? Please leave your comments. Together we may be able to help our politicians make a sane decision... 

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0
Michael Xyz

Well, for starters, the rabbit "problem" in Australia is a different issue entirely. There is a lot more agricultural land in Australia, much less than there is in Victoria. Victoria is composed predominately of woodlands, which would be a sustainable resource for the rabbit’s dietary and living needs without impacting humans. Secondly, the Victoria rabbits are of the domestic breed, discarded house pets mostly. Even though they are living in the wild, it would be a cruelty issue to hunt and use them as a food source.

Which brings me to your point of "shipping them overseas for hungry persons in need". Cities don't simply 'ship' food elsewhere in the world. Your proposal seems ludicrous, would you expect a few citizens to go about, shooting all of the rabbits, finding some sort of preserving agent, cargo shipping facility, etc and then just sending them off? I don't believe some third world country would be overly thrilled to receive a crate of decomposing rabbit carcasses full of gunpowder and bullet shards. It would make more sense to grow large quantities of grain, perhaps by shutting down a factory farm and turning the land over to vegetation-agriculture. It would be more cost effective and efficient if you're that worried about your starving fellow citizens of this world.

The rabbits of Victoria don't cause any harm, they eat weeds, can live in non-human occupied territory and some would even call them a welcome sight to see on the island. While a lot of them do stray onto yards, and vegetable patches, they have a minimal impact overall. Whatever method you propose to "get rid of the problem" (veterinarians, "shipping them overseas", hunting etc) would be far more costly than just leaving them be. In fact, their presence attracts tourists, and generates revenue for the city and local residents.

 

1
altrugon

When I proposed to ship the rabbits overseas I meant to ship them alive. Doing it in this way the people who receive them can create farm and use the rabbits as a source of food.

As you mentioned these rabits are of the domestic breed so it would be perfect to have them as farm animals.

0
Angela Walker

i think some people should come toghether catch the bunnies and give them away to good homes especialy since its gonna be easter soon i know my daughter wants a free bunnie to love for easter

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