HELENA — Feral rabbits are a growing issue across Montana, and these abandoned pets have established colonies, causing significant damage to landscaping, gardens, and infrastructure, even right here in Helena.
Around one hundred feral rabbits call Rodney Street home, and although they are cute, they have proven to be destructive. That is where Carroll College’s anthrozoology department hops in to help.
(WATCH: Hopping into Help — Rodney Street Feral Rabbits)
“Domestic rabbits cannot breed with our cottontails, and so they have this competition for resources in the area, and more often than not, it’s the domestic rabbits that win,” Lily Vickers, a Carroll College anthrozoology student, said.
The Rodney Rabbit colony has been a growing issue for nearly a decade, and with so many rabbits, it was a hard task to tackle alone.
“So driven, so motivated, so goal-oriented, this project is only happening now because of her efforts,” anthrozoology professor Margo Demello shared.
She is talking about Carroll student Lily Vickers, who has surveyed over 150 residents in the area and mapped out rabbit hotspots to find the best approach. Ninety percent of those surveyed want the rabbits gone.
Vickers said, “From my surveys, I learned that while most of the residents enjoy watching the rabbits, they don’t like the issues they cause in their gardens or finding dead animals.”
On Saturday, ten traps were set, and volunteers netted two rabbits. Right now, the goal is to capture the babies to spay and neuter.
Demello said, “The babies are easier to catch, they are a way to get started, and easier to triage because we can keep them all together.”
Trapping the rabbits not only benefits Rodney residents, but also anthrozoology students who will research best practices to combat feral rabbit populations, and whether contraceptive vaccinations could work for Rodney’s rabbits.
“They have evolved in a way that they are very reproductively successful, which means when they arrive in a place they are not from, they can dominate it,” Demello said.
Rabbits are the third most abandoned animal behind dogs and cats, and releasing pet rabbits is how challenges like this one arise.
Vickers said, “What mostly happens is people get a pet rabbit, and they are like, you know, they are actually a lot of work because they are a lot of work and they let them go.”
As for what’s next, Vickers and her professor will continue to trap younger rabbits, and they are working on obtaining land for adult rabbits to reside in the future.
For more information on how you can help, you can visit this link.
