A last minute proposal by bunny lovers in Canmore may see the cuddly creatures saved from an all out cull.
Canmore council met Tuesday (July 5) night to approve its feral rabbit management plan and faced both opposition and support from the public.
However, it was a last minute proposal and presentation by a Save Canmore Bunnies group to create a program that would spay or neuter the animals and relocate them to a sanctuary that saw politicians amend the plan.
“We submitted this letter asking you to consider a third solution pertaining to these rabbits,” said Angela Schrempf with the group. “We are proposing to capture them, spay and neuter them and release them to sanctuaries.
“We understand this method is more expensive, but we have set up a website and are collecting donations. This is a non-lethal solution while still solving the problem.”
Schrempf requested an opportunity to submit a non-lethal proposal to solve the feral rabbit issue.
Mayor Ron Casey followed the presentation with an amendment to the plan that allows a spay/neuter and relocation program to be put forward as part of a request for proposal process.
“All this does is provide an option for what we are trying to achieve here, which is having the rabbits gone from Canmore,” said the mayor, reiterating that the issue for the community is one of rabbits as a wildlife attractant.
“It is not a great situation we have ended up in and nobody wants to be in this situation, but we have all reached the point where we have to do something,” said Casey. “Everybody wants the same thing, which is a reasonable solution.”
A further amendment by Councillor Hans Helder made it clear the non-profit society (Save Canmore Bunnies) would bear part of the expense of a proposed program which includes sterilization of the animals.
“This is a question of practicality,” Helder said, while also cautioning against overly anthropomorphizing the animals. “It is always very easy to come up with schemes and ideas for solving an issue for which you have no accountability.
“If the individuals who are speaking and writing are strongly in favour of spaying and neutering and sending to a facility rabbits from Canmore, they should step up to the responsibility of paying for this solution.”
Not all councilors supported adding the option, questioning whether trapping, anesthetizing, sterilizing, rehabilitating and relocating rabbits is more humane than euthanasia.
Coun. Gordie Miskow questioned the mortality rate associated with such a procedure while Coun. Jim Ridley questioned the overall positive and negative effects of such a program. Coun. Ed Russell spoke from experience in pest control trapping animals.
“No one here is trying to savagely take out the rabbits, but I’m skeptical of this solution,” Russell said.
Schrempf questioned the idea of the Town paying to have rabbits killed, but not to have them humanely dealt with through an alternative program.
The mayor, however, reiterated there is a $50,000 budget and processes and costs are up to those submitting proposals.
If a euthanasia program is to be established, manager of bylaw services Greg Burt said there will be a stipulation in the contract ensuring it is done humanely.
“Administration will include a requirement in the request for proposal for bidders to provide information on how they intend to humanely euthanize feral rabbits and provide supporting documentation from an appropriate body such as the SPCA or Alberta Veterinary Association that deems this to be humane,” Burt said. “Administration will meet with the contractor on a regular basis to ensure that trapped feral rabbits are kept in a humane manner and that the euthanasia is done in compliance with the contract.”
Rory O’Neil with Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue, who was almost ejected from the public meeting, told council that there is no humane way to euthanize an animal and challenged politicians to have to watch the process first before approving it.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to humanely euthanize a healthy animal?” O’Neil asked. “Once they are spayed or neutered they won’t continue to multiply.
“You should personally watch them be put into a death trap… there is no easy way of doing this.”
Others in the crowd supported council’s move to deal with a compounding and ongoing issue.
Some spoke to how they could not let their grandchildren play in their yard because of rabbit feces while another relayed a story about how he was almost hit by a car full of people looking at the bunnies while on his bike.
Others questioned if Canmore really wants to be known as a town that kills rabbits from a tourism perspective.
The management approach also includes public education for residents and visitors on the issues associated with feral rabbits in the community.
“Getting as much information to residents and visitors as possible is key to the plan,” Burt said, adding that includes researching what other communities have experienced with similar problems.
He added changes to the animal control bylaw approved earlier this spring include provisions that make it illegal to feed feral rabbits within the town.
The final decision on which proposal is to be chosen is expected to return to council by the end of October this year.
