By Mike Hazlip—
Following recent efforts by animal rescue groups to trap and re-home rabbits outside Sylvan Oaks Library, several community members spoke up at the last City Council meeting in support of keeping the rabbit population at the site.
April McGee and Terry Kerr spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting to address what they said was an unnecessary intervention by rabbit rescue groups.
Related: More than 35,000 sign petition to rescue rabbits outside Citrus Heights library
“In recent months there have been groups of people descending on the park equipped with nets, cages, and wire fencing,” Kerr said, reading from a letter she said was drafted on behalf of the Crosswoods Park community. “They are trapping and removing the rabbits. This action is in direct violation of the park ordinance.”
In her letter, Kerr also disagreed with rabbit rescue group’s claims that the rabbits are unfit to live outdoors and diseased.
“We, though, strongly disagree with their stated position and actions. We have a healthy and established community of feral rabbits born at Crosswoods Park, with the exception of a very small minority of tame rabbits that have been deserted by former owners. Our feral rabbit population are not candidates for adoption,” she said.
“We do want our feral rabbit population to remain in Citrus Heights and it’s very very much so a heart-felt situation,” said Kerr. “A lot of us just love them, and I want it to continue for generations.”
The comments were made during a public comment portion of the council’s July 22 meeting, where the topic of rabbits was not on the agenda.
Mayor Steve Miller responded in a brief comment that he remembered seeing the rabbits when he first came to the city 35 years ago. He also said the park and library are not city property, but said the parks district had brought out a state veterinarian who found “there’s no disease.”
Miller also said he believes rabbit rescuers are “well-intentioned” but said “I don’t think they quite understand the situation.”
Sunrise Parks and Recreation ordinance 9.36.061 addresses animals on park property, stating that: “No person shall: Hunt, molest, harm, provide a noxious substance to, frighten, kill, trap, chase, tease, shoot, or throw missiles at any animal within the boundaries of any park facility, nor remove nor have in his or her possession the young, eggs, or nest of any such creature.”
The ordinance also states it is illegal to abandon an animal within a park.
A Change.org petition circulated online by All Ears Rabbit Rescue has gathered more than 39,000 signatures as of press time Saturday. A representative of Friends of Unwanted Rabbits told The Sentinel in a previous report that the rabbits are domesticated breeds and are unable to take care of themselves outdoors.
“The situation at the Sylvan Oaks Library contributes to the vast problem of domestic rabbit overpopulation, abandonment, and euthanasia in shelters. This rabbit populations can become a conduit for the deadly Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus outbreak (RHDV2), which can destabilize wildlife populations,” the petition reads.
A separate group, Fair Oaks Based All Ears Rabbit Rescue, said they were contacted by Citrus Heights animal services. When the group came to the park to trap the animals however, they said their efforts were met with resistance from people who wanted the rabbits to stay on the grounds.
