Bunny battle divides Village by the Sea

With the city, port and school district waiting to declare a course of action on what some fear is a runaway rabbit population, it appears regular citizens are willing and ready to become Velveteen vigilantes.

With the city, port and school district waiting to declare a course of action on what some fear is a runaway rabbit population, it appears regular citizens are willing and ready to become Velveteen vigilantes.

Dueling citizens’ movements have emerged about how to deal with the growing non-native rabbit infestation. Ahead of an Oct. 6 community meeting about what can and should be done with the cuddly critters, an online petition to spare the rabbits from harm and a separate, albeit satirical and bogus website advertising a rabbit roundup/barbecue have been created.

The petition came to Mayor Fred McCarthy’s attention specifically because it’s directed at Langley. The big-eared invaders have been a headache to many residents for years, but city leaders have been unwilling to pursue a full-fledged culling or take any action to manage their numbers. They’re reconsidering the do-nothing policy, however, and, according to McCarthy, are now on the hunt for a solution that can serve the majority of residents in a “respectful way.”

“The city represents the people, and the people in the city have expressed concerns over their gardens and cost of plants that have been destroyed, and some have expressed concerns about the public health issue,” he said, referring to a parasite transmitted from rabbit feces that can sicken pets.

The policy reversal comes in the wake of two other public agencies, the South Whidbey School District and Port of South Whidbey, voicing problems of their own. School officials this past month announced that holes in fields were a safety issue — students have reportedly been hurt stepping in holes — and that district directors are considering spending upwards of $60,000 on fencing; port representatives say the rabbits are damaging buildings and foundations. Ben Watanabe / The Record | Menaces, mismanaged or misunderstood?

The issue captured the attention of regional and national TV news stations, and has fueled new interest from residents about how to manage the problem. City Hall is fielding calls about available options, including lethal ones, the mayor said.

“I’ve had questions about ‘Can I shoot them with a bow and arrow?’ I’m getting all sorts of questions,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy isn’t alone in his hopes to address the problem compassionately. Mel Watson, a Langley resident, created the online petition on change.org to keep the bunnies from being killed, either by human hand or raptor talon.

“I have created this petition in the hope that the people of Langley would take a more compassionate approach to the increase in rabbit population in our town,” Watson wrote on the petition page. “It is possible to catch, spay and neuter, and release these rabbits back into the shared habitat of Langley, or find suitable kindhearted folks to adopt them as indoor family pets.”

Created earlier this week, the petition that requires a name, email and address has already gathered more than 700 votes of support. Despite such a strong show of will to save the bunnies, McCarthy said he was more interested in what the people of Langley had to say, which may or may not include many of the online supporters.

“I’d like to see the survey names,” he said. “I assume this went on social media and it’s accessible to anybody in the world.”

The petition drew the attention of South Whidbey School District Superintendent Jo Moccia. She wrote a response on the online petition page.

“I truly appreciate the concerns expressed here regarding the bunny issues. NO one, including me, wants to see the bunnies killed. We have a community problem and we need to address it in some way that is feasible and sustainable. There is a meeting to discuss the problem and gather input for what to do on October 6, 2015 at 6:30 at the fairgrounds. I realize that many people who have signed here won’t be able to attend since they live very far away.”

“The bunnies are very cute. They are also causing damage. Let’s talk about the ways we can mitigate the damage and still have our bunnies.”

The second online posting popped up with its own website for a fake and tongue-in-cheek Langley rabbit roundup. The creator, who declined to give his real name in a phone interview, admitted that the entire thing was a ruse. The name in the email was Rodger Coniglio, the last name being Italian for rabbit, as in “Rodger Rabbit.”

This fake event with a to-be-determined date would be like St. Patrick’s fabled clearing of snakes from Ireland, but instead of pushing slithering snakes into the sea, people would snare and bag and trap rabbits to be cooked at a community barbecue later.

The site has a page for rabbit-capturing etiquette, suggested methods for capture so that some may be taken home as pets, and implores people to not hurt them. It also has a bit of humor with its suggestions, as the recommended methods include using a box and a carrot, live traps, carrot on a stick, nets and by hand.

But, for however sensitive the language about capturing rabbits is, the satirical site also includes a section, “RABBITS AS FOOD.” Recipes include deep fried rabbitizers, rabbit burgers, deep fried rabbit sandwich, mom’s fried rabbit and gravy, and rabbit in mushroom gravy.

Ben Watanabe / The Record | Mugs bunny, anyone?

There is also a survey asking “Should Rabbits be captured and kept as pets or allowed to over-populate Langley?” The answers include “Do nothing until it’s really too late to resolve,” “Capture them and drop them off in Freeland,” “Capture them & Spay or Neuter,” “Eat them!” “Let them destroy peoples yards,” and “Langley City Council are scared rabbits more concerned about their political future,” “Have a new event in Langley” and “Other.”

With the event being entirely fictional, McCarthy and the City of Langley won’t have to worry about the repercussions of a real rabbit roundup any time soon. But, McCarthy said, he wasn’t sure what recourse the city has to stop one from actually happening.

“The city has not endorsed the rabbit roundup, and I doubt whether it would,” the mayor said.

The community meeting about the rabbit population and possible solutions is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 at the fairgrounds. All three agencies are hoping to hear what the preferred option is, and any new solutions that should be considered.

“We’re listening. Nothing has been decided yet,” McCarthy said.