The University of Victoria is considering a cull for its out-of-control rabbit population -- a proposal that has some animal lovers hopping mad.
"It's kind of out of control," UVic student Alison Brierley told CTV News. "Yesterday I was coming back from the library and I saw 16 baby bunnies just right in front of me. So there's a lot."
The campus is home to as many as 1,500 rabbits. They burrow under buildings, ruin gardens and dig holes in the sports fields, which costs thousands of dollars in damage every year.
This is why the university is considering killing part of the population.
"A cull is a definite possibility and we're in the process of developing a long term management plan to maintain a sustainable population on campus," said UVic media representative Patty Pitts.
Some students at the university say the cull is a good solution.
"Kill the rabbits," said student Brandi James. "It's a horrible thing to say but I definitely think there needs to be some control of them."
"I certainly don't see any politically incorrect thing about culling an invasive species that has overpopulated the area," said student Matthew Howe.
But these are not wild rabbits. They are the result of abandoned family pets. Many of them are sick and some can't even walk.
The university tried sterilizing about 50 of them in the spring for $18,000, but once they were sterilized, nobody would take them so they ended up back on campus.
However, the bunnies do have supporters who are already campaigning against a cull.
"There is an alternative: it's called trap, neuter and release, and I don't think it's been explored fully," said Kathleen Terrio, a UVic instructor.
She said the university had better brace itself for a fight if it tries to destroy the rabbits.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jim Beatty.
