Shelters releasing domestic rabbits in wild??

[Blue eyes]

I came across a person on an online question site who claimed that the shelter she volunteers for routinely captures domestic rabbits that have been let loose. She claimed that after the rabbits are caught, they spay or neuter them and then release them into the wild rabbit population (in the US, since she mentioned cottontails).

Supposedly this is done because the rabbits are too aggressive.

All of this sounds like hogwash to me. I've never heard of such a thing.:what

Nevertheless, I thought I'd check with all of you to see if you have ever heard of such a thing. Has anyone heard of a shelter releasing domestic rabbits into the wild?

 

[Watermelons]

It makes sense... would be the same idea as trap-neuter-release programs for feral cats.
Domestic rabbits are not native.
They are also likely many generations removed from the initally released pet making them wild-like. So neutering them and releasing them back where they were caught would make sense. Shelters have way to many friendly rabbits, why try and rehome rabbits that have spent their whole life outdoors in the wild and are skittish and not friendly. They are atleast trying to prevent more from being born.
It honestly sounds like an awesome program. They need to do it around where I live. Tons of places with feral rabbits here!

 

[RavenousDragon]

While I haven't heard about this (we surprisingly have no feral rabbits around here- probably because we are overrun with cottontails), but it does make sense. Feral cats would rather be dead than in a home (I've worked with enough to know that) and I'm assuming feral rabbits would too.

TNR is awesome because it leaves an individual who is unable to mate still in the population, so another one doesn't take it's place, so to speak, and then breed more. Many populations of feral and wild animals have a somewhat stable number (over the long term, not just year to year), and just taking them out and euthanizing them will encourage more breeding.

 

[Blue eyes]

Thanks for the replies. I can understand the neuter/release in an area where there are populations of feral rabbits. I've just not seen such populations in any places I've lived in the US.

I've also dealt with numerous rabbit rescues across the states and have yet to come across any that do such a thing - presumably because of lack of need. The occasional domestic rabbit caught by a rescue tends to have been newly released (or at least quite alone). My experience has been that rescues are either re-homing a rabbit or putting it down -- but never releasing it.

I'm curious now as to where such populations may exist (in the US)...

 

[Watermelons]

It may not even be somewhere you realise it could be.
I've seen feral rabbits in Washington state before.
Their not like HEY LOOK AT ME!
Their just like wild rabbits, trying to hide and survive.
You don't often see large groups in 1 area either.
However on my drive to work there's a decent amount spread over a few properties along the highway in 1 area, because the folks who run one of the businesses (outdoor storage) have a shelter they put food under for the rabbits so you typically see more there, and their hiding spots are pretty obvious because its under a vehicle. Otherwise its just 1 here or there because they hide and keep their babies hidden.

 

[samoth]

Hmm... my mother volunteered at a Wisconsin Humane Society for years and this never happened there. They actually had one volunteer whose sole job was socializing the rabbits that came through there.

Releasing (or re-releasing) domestic rabbits into the wild doesn't make sense to me. Maybe I'm selling them short, but I wouldn't think that they would have the skills or coloration necessary for surviving that kind of environment. Why spay/neuter domestic rabbits if they can't breed with cottontails? Are there really that many feral domestic rabbits out there that they fear the US turning into Australia?

 

[ladysown]

Why spay/neuter domestic rabbits if they can't breed with cottontails?

to prevent them from breeding with each other.

Vancouver BC ended up being INDUNDATED with rabbits... damaging buildings, eating plants and just being a horrid (LITERALLY) nuisance. If the initial few had been spayed/neutered the problem would have been greatly decreased. I say spay/neuter ALL domestic rabbits prior to release in the wild. There nature can take it's course without a population explosion.

 

[Watermelons]

Why spay/neuter them? Because they breed like rabbits!
There was a single pair of boys released in february/march on the property where i work. The landlord hated them because those 2 managed to destroy all the gardens and dig holes everywhere. Dirt was everywhere. Plants destroyed. And thats just 2 boys. If they were male female and not spayed/neutered in a matter of a few months we would have been overrun with rabbits.
I finally captured them and brought them to the local SPCA and only 1 of the 2 got adopted. Because 1 had gone feral and was not feiendly enough to be adopted out.

These rabbits take over and destroy property. It does not matter that the bright white rabbit sticks out on green grass. Where you see one there is likely 10 more. Every month you can get new babies. They are rabbits after all. They are also prey animals and have the same ability to see and hear predators as cottontails. I have seen no decrease in the population of these guys anywhere that i know they populate and we have plenty of predators. Heck the feral domestics seem to have more brains they the wild cottontails. Its always the wild ones that you see hit by cars or getting taken by cats/birds. Ive only seen 1 feral hit by car... and that may have been by me in the work vehicle... (same time i swerved to avoid he deeked the way i swerved) wild ones i see hit on a regular basis on our highway.

These feral rabbits physically take over and damage the ecosystem and property.
CNR is a fantastic idea to help control populations of feral animals. They are feral NOT FRIENDLY.

 

[samoth]

to prevent them from breeding with each other.

Vancouver BC ended up being INDUNDATED with rabbits... damaging buildings, eating plants and just being a horrid (LITERALLY) nuisance. If the initial few had been spayed/neutered the problem would have been greatly decreased. I say spay/neuter ALL domestic rabbits prior to release in the wild. There nature can take it's course without a population explosion.

Hence the second question in my post. I've never once seen a feral rabbit in any state I've lived in here in the US, but I've read about their history in Europe and Australia. I'm surprised you Canadians have so many. Then again, I'm not exactly a huge sample size, so maybe they are an issue in the US?

They are feral NOT FRIENDLY.

I can call one of the cottontails in my backyard to the desk where I throw down a mini carrot or two. Ferals can't be that mean, can they?

 

[Watermelons]

Their just no different then wild rabbits honestly. Born and raised outside.

Ive definitely seen them in Washington State. Tulalip for sure.
TONS on Vancouver island in BC.
Thousands....