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Has it really come to this?

Editor: Well... Canmore’s bunnies (feral rabbits, whichever you’d like to call them) are slated for capture and death. Has it really come to this? The Town (Canmore) released a Feral Rabbit Control Request For Proposal to the ‘public’ on Aug. 8.

Editor:

Well... Canmore’s bunnies (feral rabbits, whichever you’d like to call them) are slated for capture and death.

Has it really come to this? The Town (Canmore) released a Feral Rabbit Control Request For Proposal to the ‘public’ on Aug. 8. The final date for this proposal was Sept. 6. How is any sort of conservation group supposed to make arrangements for the transfer of any animal in less than a month?

The Town should be working with every group to find a solution; after all, shouldn’t town council know what’s best for the town? So Mayor Casey saying, “we will not build the program for you. We will work with you when you come to us with a program, which you have not done,” doesn’t really make much sense because town council should be instrumental in making decisions on programs such as this... as in, deciding what’s best for the town.

Even then, having only a month to come up with a solution is rather quick. The Save the Bunnies Campaign has done a good job of creating awareness of the issue, but I don’t think council is giving them enough help finding the proper way to deal with this ‘problem.’ The obvious (and saddest) solution for the town was to pay someone to take care of the ‘problem.’

Aside: Who has decided the rabbits are a problem, anyways? I’m pretty sure if you put a little effort in, perhaps some research, you could find a way to keep the menacing little devils out of your pretty garden or yard. I think the super secret, ultra-rare, highly complex method of keeping rabbits out of your special yard is known as a ‘fence.’ This amazing miracle invention is almost guaranteed to keep those little critters out.

Now there is $50,000 on the table for a company to come in and ‘remove’ (trap and kill, using gas?) the rabbit population.

Do they honestly expect to be able to kill enough rabbits to prevent them from spreading further? Thus we sit in a perpetual cycle of bunny killings each November to April.

Each November, humans in suits armed with gloves, traps, needles, guns (probably machine guns) will descend upon Canmore and trap and kill as many feral rabbits as possible, scaring many children along the way. After April ends, will enough feral rabbits be gone to stop them from continuing life in Canmore? My thoughts are no.

Also, take a look at the contract killers’ website; you can get all sorts of problem animals removed – beavers, elk, how about the pesky Canadian geese. Let’s get rid of those from this beautiful untouched town of Canmore, too.

I don’t really think it’s an issue of how cute the bunnies are as being the reason to save them as has been stated over again in the previous letters to the editor. They’re cute, but are they really bothering anyone? Sure, the feral rabbits are an invasive species. Australia has a similar problem, wild boars, pythons, blah, blah, blah...

The fact is that getting some random contractor in to only deal with a part of the problem is not solving anything. The council is jumping to conclusions by hiring someone to take care of a ‘problem’ that throwing a bunch of cash ($50,000) seemingly won’t even touch.

If you want to throw a bunch of money around at the issue, do this: $10,000 for information and education (through WildSmart and other initiatives), $10,000 for a study on wildlife attacks in the community (with a focus on how rabbits affect these), $10,000 for Town-supported Bunny Stopping Program (free fencing, tools, and instruction on how to keep bunnies out of their yards for residents, see No. 1)... then you still have $20,000 to use as you see fit to take care of said ‘problem’.

You could even use it on something that will benefit the community in another way, like a contribution to the Bow River Senior Citizen’s lodge, SPCA, or Food Bank. Imagine that.

A cull program such as this will do nothing more than destroy our town’s reputation. We will forever be known as the small town with bunny blood on it’s hands. Is this really something that we’re willing to risk tourism and reputation in the future over?

Really, this town is based on tourism, so how can Town council even consider a program that will instantly tarnish our reputation?

Whether you think the rabbits should be removed or not, I feel as though there are better options for the bunnies rather than throwing $50,000 at a contract killer. Refer to the film Earthlings for further reference.

Adam Tottle,

Canmore

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