by Nathan Boddy
Like Elmer Fudd, Hamilton may soon be hunting rabbits, but perhaps they won’t be as wily as Bugs Bunny. The Hamilton City Council has begun to consider the widespread rabbit population whose numbers seem to be on the rise. Their presence throughout numerous areas of the city has caused many citizens to address their city council representatives, asking for a solution.
On Wednesday, March 8th, Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf reported to the Committee of the Whole that he had done “a lot of research and has talked with a lot of people.” Many have expressed their concern about the pint-sized individuals who are reportedly doing a lot of damage and getting out of hand. Indeed, anyone who regularly walks in Hamilton is likely aware of multiple pockets of rabbit populations within town. Nonetheless, moving forward with a plan for controlling the rabbit population will take some consideration.
Mayor Farrenkopf has spoken with a trapper who quoted a price for placement of live-traps, as well as a per rabbit bounty. But even the question of how to capture the rabbits can only be considered once the Council determines if the rabbits are to be considered wild or domestic. Feeding of wildlife can lead to an array of negative side effects, both for the wildlife and residents. Domestic animals, on the other hand, cannot be allowed to roam throughout the town unrestrained. Only when those issues have been ironed out would the council be able to move forward with trapping or a widespread bounty on the rabbits, and deciding what would become of the animals. Mayor Farrenkopf told the other members of the council that he “needs marching orders.”
While the city council will consider the impact of wildlife taking up residence within the human-built environment, they are also being presented with evidence of humans constructing shelters in the natural environment. On Tuesday, March 8th, Director of Parks and Urban Forestry, Amy Fox, mentioned that she has recently heard “concern expressed about the stick houses that are in River Park and Skalkaho Bend Park.”
These informal structures, which often take the form of a lean-to or a rough approximation of a teepee, have periodically sprouted within the undeveloped areas of the parks. Fox mentioned that the construction of these structures is nothing new, but they can become an issue since they are often used for fires, which are not allowed within city parks. Hamilton’s Police and Fire Departments have both been working with Fox to determine a course of action.
While Fox acknowledged that some of the structures are getting somewhat out of hand, she did mention that she wouldn’t want to stifle the interaction that young people have with the natural elements of the park.
LaShonda says
Plenty of the rabbits are a result of humans leaving them in the parks because they don’t want them anymore. Then they do what rabbits do, because, ofcourse, they weren’t spayed/neutered. The humane society could help with the problem with an outdoor structure that separates female and male rabbits, and people with land in the community could volunteer to help with this as well. Also don’t get your kids rabbits for Easter, they can live for over a decade, you could still have Easter bunnies when your kids move out!
Steffeni hakes says
There is a MUCH bigger picture here!
Bunnies are dumped every day because people think that they are low maintenance and get them for their kids, or folks decide they don’t want them after the 4-H kids have exploited their bunnies to exhaustion. We rescued a dumped bunny from the river once because a 4H kid didn’t want it anymore. I rescue bunnies as well as 3 other gals in the valley & I get at least 15 calls a month because people are board of their rabbit or it’s chewing something.
EDUCATION is key! Getting our animal shelter to have adequate housing for small animals is key! There’s work to be done: but trapping or killing the bunnies is NOT one of them!
michelle says
Good luck with the rabbits as new ones start showing up a few weeks after Easter. People are the problem and the rabbits get punished.