Selkirk, Man. getting its rabbit issue under control

A rescue operation to get a growing number of rabbits off the streets of Selkirk, Man. has saved dozens of animals intentionally set free from “certain death,” the city said this week.

In November the City of Selkirk began a “large scale” capture operation for a growing population of domesticated rabbits that owners released, to try to contain the situation.

The City worked with local animal rescue organization Popcorns & Binkies (P&B), in order to safely capture the bunnies and then provide veterinary care before attempting to re-home them.

“Efforts to trap, foster and re-home domestic rabbits in the City of Selkirk has saved the lives of nearly 50 of the animals, who faced almost certain death after a few were intentionally released into the wild and rapidly multiplied into an overwhelming population,” the city said in a release.

The city added that P&B, a registered charity that began trapping the domestic rabbit population last fall, is caring for nearly all of the rabbits in a city-provided facility, while some are in foster homes in Selkirk and Winnipeg.

The city said many of the rabbits captured were in horrible shape and in many cases close to death.

“Many were sick, malnourished and some of the females pregnant,” the city said.

A spokesperson for P&B, warned that domesticated rabbits are put in extreme danger when they are left outside and to their own devices, saying they are susceptible to parasites that can spread between rabbits and can affect neurological systems, eyes and kidneys, and that are easier to catch when rabbits are stressed.

The organization said that all of the rabbits they captured had fleas, some were anemic, all were malnourished, and many required surgeries of various types.

The rabbits captured were all also under high levels of stress, which the organization said does more to contribute to the possibility that they will die.

City of Selkirk director of protective services Kristy Hill said they don’t want to see more rabbits released onto the streets and said all pet owners are responsible for keeping their pets indoors if that’s where they should be.

“These bunnies weren’t made to be outside during a Manitoba winter – they’re not wild animals, they are domestic and survival in the cold is unlikely,” Hill said.

”If your pet gets out of your yard, it’s up to you to retrieve it, and no matter how your pet gets loose, you, as the owner, are responsible for getting them back into your possession so that the animal can be properly cared for.

“It’s unacceptable to just throw up your hands and let the animal fend for itself.”

This story was originally published in The Winnipeg Sun. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.