Athletic Fields at the University of Victoria have been damaged by about 150 feral rabbits, causing a potential hazard for student athletes. As a result university officials have decided to round up the rabbits and have them sterilized and relocated.

The school hired a wildlife damage-control company to remove the rabbits to an animal sanctuary.

The plan is to create rabbit free zones around the school and reduce the rabbit population to a manageable level.

Read more at The Times Colonist.

Photo: Bruce Stotesbury

For years the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada has experienced a major problem with feral rabbits.  These rabbits, who started out as abandoned pets and then multiplied, have taken over the campus, destroying campus greenery and athletic fields.

Nick Shaw, a local veterinarian, has offered to provide vasectomies to the male rabbits at no charge to curb the population growth.  Vasectomies differ from neuters because the rabbits’ testicles would stay in tact.  In that way, the male rabbits would still embody normal territorial and mating behavior, but mating would not result in baby bunnies.  He hopes to defray his costs by holding fundraising events.

For more information:
Vancouver Sun
Rabbit Advocacy