Florida residents are used to dealing with wildlife like alligators and mosquitos, but the town of Wilton Manors is trying to get rid of a horde of exotic domesticated bunny rabbits. A backyard breeder who was producing lionhead rabbits illegally set her inventory free and moved away. That was two years ago, and the rabbits have multiplied exponentially. They dig holes in yards and chew through wiring. The rabbits are also a traffic hazard, but they aren't inherently dangerous to humans or other wildlife, so the Fish and Game Department won't address the problem. City officials are balking at the expense of removing the bunnies.
Lionhead rabbits are bred to be pets, and do not thrive in the wild, even in suburbia. They are friendly, and therefore susceptible to predators, and require a special diet to thrive. Their fur is too thick to deal with the summer heat. But even though their lifespans are cut short, they still give birth to large litters several times a year.
East Coast Rabbit Rescue in West Palm Beach is doing what they can to help the rabbits, but they are overwhelmed with the numbers involved in Wilton Manors. Spaying and neutering so many rabbits is very expensive, and the likelihood of finding homes for so many lionhead rabbits is small. Read more about the Wilton Manors rabbit invasion at channel 10. -via Fark
(Image credit: Emmaima)
