Rabbits, being rabbits, are quickly overrunning the grassy refuges theyB次元官网网址檝e been living on alongside the Trans Canada Highway in View Royal.
The population has increased so much that efforts are now being made to move the animals to a new sanctuary.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a group hoping to capture them, spay them and neuter them and ship them off to a sanctuary,B次元官网网址� said View Royal Mayor David Screech.
Before the rabbits can make the trip to their final pasture, they need somewhere local where they can recover from their sterilizing surgery.
Hillside Veterinary Hospital veterinarian Laurie Gaines is working with Erin Gray, a recent University of Victoria law graduate, to undertake this project.
Gray got involved in the project over a year ago when she began doing legal research on what the process would entail last summer.
B次元官网网址淧eople feel quite a connection with these rabbits,B次元官网网址� said Gray.
She said they have six veterinarians, 10 technicians and one facility organized to do the procedures but require permits from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources before they can proceed.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 been lots of response thatB次元官网网址檚 very positive,B次元官网网址� she said, adding that a number of people have come forward with suggestions and offering spaces for the rabbits to recuperate after their operations. The group still has to vet these offers to find the most suitable space.
The group is also looking to address some of the underlying issues and preventing this situation from happening again. Gray said they are looking into changing bylaws that would prevent un-spayed or un-neutered rabbits from being sold as pets.
The project is currently being funded by donations.
B次元官网网址淚f it works and thereB次元官网网址檚 no public money involved, we think itB次元官网网址檚 a great idea,B次元官网网址� Screech said, noting the municipality is more than willing to work with the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on the issue.
So far, Screech said, efforts to do so have had little result. The ministry did put up B次元官网网址渘o trespassingB次元官网网址� signs but theyB次元官网网址檙e not having any visible effect.
People are still stopping on the medians to feed the animals or even to let their children play with the rabbits.
The situation has become a safety concern for the municipality.
B次元官网网址淲e just feel a solution needs to be found,B次元官网网址� Screech said.
The other issue is, as the rabbits population grows literally by leaps and bounds, the animals are moving beyond the medians and starting to turn up throughout View Royal.
B次元官网网址淭he municipality canB次元官网网址檛 really do anything,B次元官网网址� Screech said, about the fact the medians are on provincial land and the rabbits are technically classified as wildlife.
Residents can request live animal traps from the Capital Regional District and turn over any captured rabbits to the CRD Animal Shelter.
Until recent developments, View Royal has so far escaped wildlife controversies regarding deer that have troubled nearby municipalities, including Oak Bay and Central Saanich.
If you would like to get involved with the project you can email viewroyalrabbits1@gmail.com.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
