Feral domestic rabbits roam free on the streets of Selkirk
'They've pretty much claimed this area of Selkirk as their own,' resident says
Feral domesticated rabbits are taking over the streets of Selkirk — forcing the city and the provincial government into a standoff on next steps to address the rapidly growing problem.
"The last year I've noticed like, an explosion. They're kind of everywhere now," Selkirk resident Paige Reyher said.
Reyher began to notice the domesticated bunnies running loose in her neighbourhood around three years ago.
Many of the domestic white and orange rabbits have replaced the wild brown and white breed, taking over areas near the cross street of Sophia Avenue and Moody Avenue.
"They've pretty much claimed this area of Selkirk as their own. I don't think I've ever seen a cottontail rabbit over here in a long time," Reyher said.
The welfare of the wild pet rabbits over the winter is cause for concern for Reyher, who began volunteering for animal rescue group Popcorns & Binkies Rescue Haven, hoping to help decrease the feral domestic rabbit population — a difficult feat when Reyher says she suspects people are taking care of the bunnies.
"It's very controversial. A lot of people would prefer if we left them alone, but a lot of people are concerned. They're not supposed to be outside," Reyher said.
She says assistance is needed from the city to remove the rabbits from people's yards and educate residents that the rabbits need to live indoors and that people creating outdoor spaces on their properties for the released pets is not in their best interest.
"A lot of people think these are wild rabbits, and they're not. They don't have the same kinds of instincts as wild rabbits," Reyher said.
"We kind of need help with the city to be able to get all these rabbits off the street."
City says rabbits a provincial issue
Duane Nicol, the City of Selkirk's chief administrative officer, said the municipality recently became aware of the loose pet rabbits.
Because domesticated rabbits need humans provided shelter and food, the city considers releasing them into the wild a form of animal abuse, he said.
Nicol said the city does not enforce animal abuse legislation and investigating the cause of the bunny boom is the jurisdiction of the province's chief veterinary officer.
"We believe that an investigation has been undertaken. We were told that they couldn't provide us any information according to [the] Freedom of Information [and] Protection of Privacy Act."
The city has not seen any action from the province to address the issue, Nicol said.
"We're sort of at a roadblock here," he said.
"Our mechanism is dealing with the provincial agency that has the mechanisms and resources to deal with the issue."
Rabbits are a prey species and an increase in populations of prey animals can attract the predators that feed on them, like coyotes and foxes — something Nicol says the city doesn't want.
Manitoba's provincial data showed an increase in coyote sightings last year over the year before. The Manitoba Conservation Officer Service logged 677 reported interactions with coyotes, compared to 335 reports in 2022.
Nicol says it's clear citizens care about the rabbits in the town, but the well-being of Selkirk's citizens and the town's animals must be balanced.
"The fact that citizens want to be feeding them demonstrates their compassion and their care for these animals," Nicol said.
"That's why we're working with this shelter, this rescue haven, to make sure that we're humanely dealing with these animals."
In a written statement sent to CBC, the city said its director of protective services has spoken with officials with the office of Manitoba's chief veterinary officer.
The statement said the city "is responding to the current population" but maintained the provincial agency has "the resources, expertise, and authority to prevent animal neglect and abuse" and should "offer greater support" to the city.
"We are concerned that this will occur again because the cause of this animal abuse has not been adequately addressed by an agency with the legal authority to enforce the province's Animal Care Act," the city said.
Province says rabbits a city issue
While the city says the rabbits are a problem the province should deal with, the province said the opposite.
A provincial spokesperson confirmed in an email to CBC that the province has been contacted and there is a population of released or escaped rabbits in the city of Selkirk.
"Animal Health and Welfare has provided guidance on measures that could be employed but has advised that it is an animal control issue and is the responsibility of the municipality," the province said.
CBC contacted Popcorns & Binkies Rescue Haven about Selkirk's wild pet rabbit population. The rescue group's director, Cindy Hildebrand, responded via email, saying while there have been talks with the city, no specific decisions have been made yet.
"While we definitely want to offer our assistance, no definitive decision has been made as to if we can help, or what that help could look like," Hildebrand said in the email.
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With files from CBC's Shannah-Lee Vidal