I feel compelled to jump into the current “bunny” debate.
I’ve lived on Resthaven Drive for over 20 years and this year, for the first time, I saw a cute little bunny on my front lawn.
It was tame and obviously had evolved from being someone’s pet. I also own a warehouse in West Sidney and can say that rabbits are already a problem there.
It’s just a matter of time before all the urban gardeners on the other side of the highway are trying to cope with these cute little rodents destroying our attempts to grow more of our own food at home.
While I do believe in cultivating more produce locally, I really feel that council should take a hop back on this issue and focus more on encouraging gardening and supporting our local farmers.
Rabbits are too cute for our own good and unfortunately many would escape the kitchen pot because novice and well meaning folks would not have the heart to slaughter them when the time came.
Many will end up exactly where we don’t want them and in fact it’s already happening. Anyone who thinks otherwise should take a walk in West Sidney in the evening to see UVic revisited.
Let’s look at other ways to keep our diet local and not give farmers one more headache on top of the destruction they already face by Canada geese, deer and urban sprawl.
Community garden plots would be an excellent start and many other initiatives that I’ve seen in places like Portland, Ore.
I voted for the current mayor and council of Sidney but I’m starting to have my doubts about whether they really are listening to the residents of this town.
G. MacKay
Sidney
So much talk about little rabbits. I am not a proponent of allowing rabbits in Sidney.
In fact, the complex I live in currently has one wild (likely previously owned) lonely rabbit that has been here for a couple of years.
Although, to my knowledge it has not caused any grief, I am very aware of the damage they can do apart from the multiplying that can take place in a short period of time if the bunny found a partner.
When I was growing up on a working farm, rabbits were seen as a hazard to the outbuildings. They tunnel under and could make structures unstable. So, to keep the buildings sound we would cull them regularly.
Anyone living on the west side of Sidney near Henry Avenue can see evidence of their ability to multiply. The rabbits have burrowed holes and live in the side (above the ditch) of the Pat Bay Highway.
I called the Ministry of Transportation and the woman laughed at my suggestion that they should look into this.
I know people have good intentions when they buy a rabbit as a pet. Often they don’t look into the costs (prior to purchase) necessary to assure it is sterilized.
Finally, unlike most dogs and cats, rabbits don’t come when you call them after they have gotten loose.
So the moral of this story is: It is too late to close the door once the rabbit has bolted.
Erika Kanczula
Sidney
Re: Only takes a few careless rabbit owners to spawn infestation (Letters, July 20)
Does Chris Brown live in Sidney or Quadra-McKenzie? And how does Mr. Brown know those are abandoned pets and not wild rabbits?
Also, as a lifelong 30-year West Sidney resident and a frequenter of Reay Creek park, I have never seen a rabbit anywhere in Sidney.
I stand by my valid point in my previous letter to the editor that a simple solution is a mandatory spay/neuter requirement for pet rabbit ownership.
If Chris Brown suspects some nefarious pet owner is trying to skirt the law in some kind of black market rabbit breeding ring, he can phone bylaw enforcement to come check their rabbit licence.
Noel Gagnon
Sidney
