Report from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC): Canmore feral rabbit cull called off after disease decimates population

Canmore feral rabbit cull called off after disease decimates population

By Helen Pike, December 9, 2023

two wild rabbits in a fieldIt could be the end of Canmore’s feral rabbit saga.

After more than a decade of active battle against the bunnies, the mountain town isn’t paying contractors to cull the once domestic animals in 2024 — because they’re gone.

The Town of Canmore has spent about $600,000 over the years for a private contractor to comb the town to find the non-native rabbits, trap and euthanize them. But that’s not what ultimately nipped the prolific population in the bud. An outbreak of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) ripped through the population last year.

To learn more about the outbreak, visit the CBC website >>>