Cautions The Public Against Acquiring Unsterilized Rabbits For Easter
Richmond, BC (April 15th, 2025) – The Rabbitats Rescue Society commends the District of Saanich’s recent efforts to direct province-wide attention to the burgeoning issue of unwanted and abandoned domestic rabbits overwhelming rescues and shelters and breeding out of control in the environment.
Saanich proposed a resolution passed at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention this past weekend. It will now be brought up to the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in September, and if passed there, sent to the provincial government.
The resolution notes in part that the current approach to addressing the issue of invasive European rabbits is “uncoordinated and poorly funded, placing all of the responsibility on the shoulders of local governments and small underfunded not-for profits, leading to an inconsistent and infective response.”
“This resolution really nailed it,” says Rabbitats founder Sorelle Saidman.
Rabbitats was first formed in 2011 after Saidman assisted with the rescue of close to 1000 rabbits populating the University of Victoria campus in 2010. “UVic was a very early indication that the rabbits could become a widespread problem,” says Saidman. “There had been a couple of similar cases in the States, and it was apparent it was an issue that needed a humane plan going forward.
“The motto for invasive species is EDRR – ‘early detection and rapid response’ – but when it comes to rabbits, they seem to forget that, and they’re the species most in need of this.”
“Richmond has over 2000 loose rabbits on the streets right now. We had some really successful rescue projects there and could have nipped the problem in the bud a decade ago with support and consistency.”
Rabbitats prioritizes ‘sanctuary rescue.’ “Most of the rabbit rescues focus on house pets,” notes Saidman. “There are nowhere near enough homes for the current levels. The rabbits living in the environment are surviving quite well. They don’t need a lot of care. Sterilize them and put a fence around them.
“Make sure unwanted house pets have places to go other than being dumped in the park, and put some serious controls on breeding and unsterilized rabbits,” she adds.
“This has to be a province-wide initiative. The rabbits aren’t just surviving in Richmond and Vancouver Island, they’re thriving in freezing climates like Alberta and hot climates like Nevada. They would be over-running the Okanagan if Kelowna hadn’t worked with rescues and passed some strong bylaws to keep them from spreading.
“The rabbits are being transported from one community to another by riding in the undercarriages of cars,” says Saidman. “They hop in there because it’s like a protected burrow for them, and they end up miles away. People are also intentionally relocating rabbits from one municipality to another. Vancouver now has a large dumping ground. It’s only a matter of time before the whole city is overrun. They’ve just given us a small grant to help control them, but it’s nowhere near enough. They need to fully fund a city-wide project and pass prevention bylaws.”
The news of the Saanich resolution is timely given that Easter is just around the corner. Says Saidman: “Easter is when people start thinking about how cute it would be to get the kids a bunny. That rabbit will be unsterilized and most likely unwanted by the fall. People should just come to our Easter event and enjoy the bunnies there instead. They can learn all about rabbits, and foster a spayed or neutered rabbit first to see if it’s the right fit for them.”
AVICC Resolution: Provincial Support for Addressing Feral Rabbits District of Saanich Whereas numerous local governments are struggling with the abandonment and rapid proliferation of feral European rabbits in parks and public spaces, and these invasive animals have a negative impact on ecosystems, native wildlife, urban infrastructure and greenspaces, and public health and safety; And whereas the current approach to addressing this issue is uncoordinated and poorly funded, placing all of the responsibility on the shoulders of local governments and small underfunded not-for profits, leading to an inconsistent and infective response: Therefore be it resolved that AVICC and UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to develop a coordinated province-wide strategy to address the root causes of feral rabbit abandonment across British Columbia.