University of Victoria Rabbit Cull?

Just days after happy thoughts of fuzzy Easter chicks and soft bunnies were dancing through everyone’s heads, rumors are swirling that the University of Victoria is planning a clandestine cull of the rabbit population currently residing on the picturesque campus.

Comprised of an estimated 1,300 former pet rabbits and their offspring, the bunnies are, for the most part, quite tame and for many students are an integral part of the Vancouver Island campus.

However, what has animal rights’ activists hopping mad is how the university may deal with the bunny abundance problem. Although it is tough to get a straight answer on the fate of the bunnies. Tom Smith, University of Victoria executive director of communications, and spokesperson for the rabbit situation, is currently (and somewhat conveniently) out of town for the next few weeks - a time when animal rights’ activists are certain the extensive cull is going to take place.

Patty Pitts, manager of media relations at the University of Victoria, says she has no knowledge that a cull is planned.

The University of Victoria has tried various options for dealing with the growing rabbit population, including most recently a CAN$17,743 pilot program to attempt to humanely deal with the rabbits.

The ‘pilot project’ explored the feasibility of capturing, sterilizing, and finding new homes for a limited number of the semi-feral rabbits. The project determined that it was relatively easy to humanely capture rabbits, recruit volunteers and engage veterinarians to sterilize the rabbits. According to the university, the problem lay in finding good homes for the rabbits.

So the plan to relocate the rabbits was deemed unsuccessful and now the campus seems to be moving towards the cull option as, according to statements from the university, the rabbits are now damaging property, tree roots, and digging holes in the sports fields that may result in athletes being harmed.

Animal rights' activist Roslyn Cassells has been working to raise awareness about the possibility of a cull and wants the University of Victoria to continue to explore options of finding homes for the rabbits. She worries that the university has been deliberately preparing a disinformation campaign to soften up the public into accepting a cull.

“As I looked further in to this, I felt the university had no intention of letting the animals live and in fact were manufacturing disinformation. The university’s desire to maintain the appearance of doing due diligence on the rabbit issue, without any genuine interest in, or intention of, diverting from their planned course of killing the rabbits,” explains Cassells in a telephone interview. “The university continually refers to its “attempts” or other’s “failed” attempts at resolving the problem using non-lethal means and holds this up as their justification for now promoting a kill.”

Cassells believes that an integral part of preparing the public to accept a cull includes implementing an ineffectual trapping project that is then used as justification for an extermination program.

Either way, the public and media will not be notified if or when the University of Victoria rabbit cull is taking place. Pitts explained that a cull announcement would not be made due to the possibility of security issues, threats to extermination personal and vandalism to equipment.

The BC SPCA did not respond to our requests for a statement, but offers the following message on their website:

The BC SPCA does not support a cull on the rabbit population and urges the University of Victoria to seek every humane alternative to managing the rabbit population on campus. The BC SPCA supports activities that aim to humanely trap, sterilize, and re-home rabbits in suitable homes or sanctuaries that can provide for their needs for the remainder of their lives.

Where the ambiguity, and frankly the anger of animal lovers is focusing, is around the question of if the University of Victoria has really exhausted all possibilities or are they just looking for justification for implementing the quickest and easiest solution. Opinions vary on this particular point.

My opinion is that the University of Victoria let the problem of the abandoned rabbits get out of hand and now simply wants to get rid of the bunnies once and for all. Without question it is a lot cheaper to hire an exterminator organization to destroy all the rabbits than it is to humanely trap them, neuter or spay the animals and spend the time, energy and money to find proper homes for the bunnies.

The University of Victoria is facing a potential PR nightmare if they decide to exterminate a thousand-plus rabbits, but the real responsibility and the focus of anger should be directed at every person who brought home a cute bunny, grew tired of it and then dumped it on the university grounds. We should also save some of our ire for the pet stores who focus solely on profit when selling animals to people without thought to the consequences of their transactions.

I tell myself that it is never too late to stop something, but my experience when dealing with large institutions is that they are usually not willing to listen to anyone but themselves – even when they are wrong.

I urge people to speak up to stop the cull, but I think a more realistic option is to contact the university and tell them that you are willing to adopt one of the University of Victoria bunnies and provide a loving home.

Valerie Williams is a writer living on Salt Spring Island. She is the editor of GreenMuze.com.

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