In support of rabbit program
Editor:
Now that the feral rabbit removal program appears to be finally getting under way, I would like to voice my support for the way Canmore town council and Town administration have handled this initiative.
First of all, I totally agree that the removal of anything in our community that can attract dangerous predators is worthwhile. If anyone believes that some of the predators that may be attracted into our community by feral rabbits are not dangerous, I suggest that they read the book Cat Attack by Jo Deurbrouck and Dean Miller.
This book documents the results of a study of 53 cougar attacks during the 1990s in Western Canada and the U.S.
Some of the book’s highlights are:
1. Most cougar attacks are predatory in nature.
2. Travelling in groups does not prevent a cougar attack. For some of the attacks that were documented, a cougar ran past several adults in a group and attacked a child.
3. In most cases, when a cougar attacks a human, it clamps onto the victim’s head or neck and it is very difficult to get it to release its hold.
The following is a paragraph from this book that provides a good description of cougars: “Cougars are not harmless. They are hunters and wherever they go they shed blood. If a cougar is hungry and is unable to find its preferred prey due to injury, or inexperience, it will seek small prey that is easier to catch.”
Since we are in cougar country, it is conceivable that a juvenile or injured cougar could wonder into town looking for a rabbit meal, with disastrous results.
A few years ago a cougar killed a skier in Banff National Park and this year a pair of juvenile cougars near Canmore had to be put down after they became stressed for food and tried to prey on a dog and a child.
Everyone should ask himself or herself what they would do if, as a council member, people with wildlife experience recommend that the feral rabbits be removed to deter dangerous predators for coming into Canmore. I would sure vote for removal.
In addition, I would like to commend the council for refusing to allocate any of our tax dollars to the ‘Sterilization and Transfer to a Sanctuary’ initiative (or the surgery and long term care option).
The only time wild rabbits can be easily enticed into a baited trap is during the winter months when they are starving. Since these rabbits have spread out of south Canmore into most town areas, and since not all homeowners will co-operate with the live trapping program, it may take several winters to eliminate them from our environment.
For this reason, our limited tax dollars should be reserved for only the capture part of the program.
I also believe that the Town administration is doing a good job of establishing strict conditions before they will release any rabbits to surgery and long term care proponents.
It may seem to some that the Town has tried to put up roadblocks to this initiative, however, they are really protecting us taxpayers from liabilities resulting from problems that could crop up in the future. For example, if the Canmore rabbits escape from a poorly built sanctuary and the sanctuary neighbours want them removed, whom do you think they are going to call?
Better still, if the surgery and long term care folks do not have the people and financial resources to feed and care for these rabbits during their six- to 10-year life span and the SPCA steps in and starts looking for someone to take over responsibility for the sanctuary, who do you think they will call?
Well, fellow taxpayers, they will not call Ghostbusters. They will call the Town of Canmore because the rabbits in question are Canmore rabbits and will remain so until the day they die.
In summary, I believe the mayor, town council and administration have done a good job overseeing a very difficult and controversial project, necessitated by stupid and or careless people that have released a foreign species into our environment, with inevitable results.
Bill Hogg,
Canmore
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Comments
That money could spay-neuter, relocating and long-term care by rabbit rescue groups - if they were allowed to trap.
It is better to get more value and tourism friendly rescue services for your tax dollars.
With spay-neuter, relocate everyone wins. Everyone works to a common, happy goal.
Rabbit rescue groups will work hard to get this done quickly as they have know there is limited donations and time because the longer it takes, the more rabbits will breed. A fact that other contractors are happy to have to increase profits.
However, before a more positive, mutually beneficial solution can be realized, Canmore residents have to ask for change in how the Rabbit contract bids are written and decided.
First - Trapping Is Simple. Trapping can easily be done by people 16 years of age or older. This is not rocket science, but Canmore officials make it sound to be the most expensive part of the contract. Put cage on ground, open door, put in food, walk away. Check for rabbit every 6 hours. Take rabbit to safe place. Most people can do that !
Second – Make Bidding Fair. (1) To qualify for the contract, rescue groups had to have the rescue money up front, but kill contractors did not have to provide the same amount of security funds. (2) Rescue groups and could not use “trapping” contract funds to pay any costs such as spay-neuter, relocate or long-term care. This restriction prevented rescue groups from using internal cost savings. Yet kill contractors could spend the contract money however they wanted to.
Third – Sanctuaries. A reason Canmore gave was refusing to allow transfer of rabbits out of Canada to US sanctuaries. This blocked ARC’s great proposal and my "no profit" proposal too.
Why should it matter where the rabbits go to safety ?
One place I personally visited was Precious Life Animal Sanctuary in Washington state. The people and facility are excellent, capable of holding at least 500 rabbits – with lots of room to expand. Steel mesh fence, great shelters, plenty of food and protected space to just be rabbits. They have been caring for rabbits for over 6 years that arrived from other areas with about 75 UVictoria rabbits. They were all in good health. But nothing is free, so for any sanctuary, rescue groups need “trapping contracts” to bank to pay long term costs. Later expenses can be met by donations over the years ahead. Nobody is going to bill Canmore years later for letting us save the rabbits !! Don't let your unwarranted fears stop you or others from doing the right thing !
Fourth - Rescue groups may also be unfairly prevented by the new bylaw from trapping, which now restricts trapping to those who do so as an occupation. If you want to save money or rabbits, you may want to ask your Town Council to change the bylaw, and you may have to petition for a vote if they are still clinging to their outdated pro-kill thinking.
Start questioning your Town officials about propaganda that favours kill contractors and profits by killing. Canmore residents have to demand that Canmore provides fair and equal opportunities to rescue groups without unfair burdens, barriers or restrictions.
Try to find it in your hearts to care enough for animals that just want a fair chance to enjoy the gift of life they were given, and to also help those people and young children who care so much about them. “Hoppy” Easter !!
ps - I wont argue the point of Canmore spending $100,000 for urgently needed metal "artwork" or Canmore having over 1400 dogs and cats or the many mice, birds, deer and elk that are also predator attractors. perhaps the rabbits are a buffer species that prevent attacks on people and pets.
you folks unrealistically want a guarantee to live without risk in a highly intensive wildlife area. the best 24x7 prevention i can suggest is a fence around town with a texas gate on every road into town.
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message ID: 334527
Post On: April 6, 2012
Posted by User #: dan onischuk
Posted by IP:
message:
Canmore Officials decided to pay kill contractors $50,000 per year, plus other expenses. Every year, as long as it takes. After 2 months of trapping us, about 400 rabbits were caught, costing about $130/rabbit – so why not just save them ?
That money could spay-neuter, relocating and long-term care by rabbit rescue groups - if they were allowed to trap.
It is better to get more value and tourism friendly rescue services for your tax dollars.
With spay-neuter, relocate everyone wins. Everyone works to a common, happy goal.
Rabbit rescue groups will work hard to get this done quickly as they have know there is limited donations and time because the longer it takes, the more rabbits will breed. A fact that other contractors are happy to have to increase profits.
However, before a more positive, mutually beneficial solution can be realized, Canmore residents have to ask for change in how the Rabbit contract bids are written and decided.
First - Trapping Is Simple. Trapping can easily be done by people 16 years of age or older. This is not rocket science, but Canmore officials make it sound to be the most expensive part of the contract. Put cage on ground, open door, put in food, walk away. Check for rabbit every 6 hours. Take rabbit to safe place. Most people can do that !
Second – Make Bidding Fair. (1) To qualify for the contract, rescue groups had to have the rescue money up front, but kill contractors did not have to provide the same amount of security funds. (2) Rescue groups and could not use “trapping” contract funds to pay any costs such as spay-neuter, relocate or long-term care. This restriction prevented rescue groups from using internal cost savings. Yet kill contractors could spend the contract money however they wanted to.
Third – Sanctuaries. A reason Canmore gave was refusing to allow transfer of rabbits out of Canada to US sanctuaries. This blocked ARC’s great proposal and my "no profit" proposal too.
Why should it matter where the rabbits go to safety ?
One place I personally visited was Precious Life Animal Sanctuary in Washington state. The people and facility are excellent, capable of holding at least 500 rabbits – with lots of room to expand. Steel mesh fence, great shelters, plenty of food and protected space to just be rabbits. They have been caring for rabbits for over 6 years that arrived from other areas with about 75 UVictoria rabbits. They were all in good health. But nothing is free, so for any sanctuary, rescue groups need “trapping contracts” to bank to pay long term costs. Later expenses can be met by donations over the years ahead. Nobody is going to bill Canmore years later for letting us save the rabbits !! Don't let your unwarranted fears stop you or others from doing the right thing !
Fourth - Rescue groups may also be unfairly prevented by the new bylaw from trapping, which now restricts trapping to those who do so as an occupation. If you want to save money or rabbits, you may want to ask your Town Council to change the bylaw, and you may have to petition for a vote if they are still clinging to their outdated pro-kill thinking.
Start questioning your Town officials about propaganda that favours kill contractors and profits by killing. Canmore residents have to demand that Canmore provides fair and equal opportunities to rescue groups without unfair burdens, barriers or restrictions.
Try to find it in your hearts to care enough for animals that just want a fair chance to enjoy the gift of life they were given, and to also help those people and young children who care so much about them. “Hoppy” Easter !!
ps - I wont argue the point of Canmore spending $100,000 for urgently needed metal "artwork" or Canmore having over 1400 dogs and cats or the many mice, birds, deer and elk that are also predator attractors. perhaps the rabbits are a buffer species that prevent attacks on people and pets.
you folks unrealistically want a guarantee to live without risk in a highly intensive wildlife area. the best 24x7 prevention i can suggest is a fence around town with a texas gate on every road into town.