UVic’s secret bunny plans
You probably got tired of seeing bunnies in the Martlet 10 years ago. We certainly got tired of it well before that. But being the socially aware and environmentally concerned publication that we are, we cannot stand idly by as injustices are perpetrated upon our unofficial school mascot by the university’s administration.
Last year, UVic announced plans to render all areas outside of Ring Road “rabbit-free zones.” This presents a number of problems. First, a large portion of campus is outside of the ring, giving the university carte blanche for bunnycide and bunnynapping on most of the campus. Also, the rest of the world is outside of Ring Road. Is our ass-backwards administration really proposing a planet-wide cleansing of rabbits?
The proposal included an end date of January 2011. Look around campus. The university appears to have been successful. After years of murmurs around what were then thought of as mythical bunny culls, the difference in the bunny population between when we left for Winter Break and when we got back for the Spring session has been more striking than ever.
The university’s excuse has been that the rabbit population is a health hazard, with their ubiquitous burrows and fecal matter. But let’s be honest: walking around the burrows and on the bunny shit is as much a part of life at UVic as the bunnies are themselves.
UVic has also justified the cleansing by saying the bunnies “are causing unsustainable damage to campus vegetation and property.” Sure, but to a rabbit, that’s just called eating and building a home. With the school taking an environmentally based stance against the bunnies, we feel inclined to point out that the university is capturing and transplanting en masse rabbits whose relatives have for decades made UVic into their habitat. But God forbid some bushes and grass get eaten.
The BCSPCA and rescue centres in Coombs and Texas seem to support the university’s forced exodus of our long-eared friends, so it’s likely that our stance will be the minority’s, but one cannot reduce UVic’s rabbits to environmental annoyances or diminish their role at the university by calling them feral. Bunnies are arguably the most recognizable feature of our campus, and are more often linked with the university than our actual mascot, Thunder. Take the bunnies away, and you begin to undermine both the university’s identity and what it means to be student here.
Spring without a spate of rabbit babies to squeal over will leave UVic like any other university. The adorableness of those babies can make even the most brutal exam fade into the background. And don’t forget that study that suggested that looking at cute, furry things actually lowered stress levels. Let’s face it — rabbits are good for our mental well-being.
Even so, UVic is now considering an entirely rabbit-free campus. This is problematic given the parameters of the existing plan. If everywhere outside the ring road is designated as rabbit-free (i.e. the rest of the world), and now the inside of Ring Road may be designated the same, it is safe to say that UVic is single-handedly putting rabbits on the endangered species list.
Who is calling all the bunnycide/bunnynapping shots? Why are petitions about bottled water on campus being passed around while no student input is sought on an issue that affects every one of us? Why, instead of pet shops being required to sterilize the rabbits they sell (rabbits that, apparently, are still being dumped on campus), are we required to bow to bunny fascism? UVic’s director of facilities management Tom Smith recently chatted to Judith Lavoie of the Times Colonist about the possibility of a bunny-free future, but interestingly, nothing about this proposal appears on UVic’s “Rabbits @ UVic” homepage in spite of the fact that the university has vowed to “provide regular updates on its website, for the benefit of the neighbouring community associations and others who may want to get involved.”
So we’re inviting you now to get involved. Contact the Communications Department. Demand greater transparency and a stronger voice in this issue.
21 Comments
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Will Jan. 20, 2011, 9:06 a.m.
Is this piece supposed to be satirical?
Ivan M. Jan. 21, 2011, 5:58 a.m.
I think it's quite serious and depressingly true. No choice but to be resigned and darkly humorous.
Laura Jan. 21, 2011, 8:07 a.m.
I believe that the rabbits are a pest and that like any rodent we shouldn't be petting them, however i do not believe in a campus, possibly even city wide, extermination of the rabbit population.
Second semester of school is always the hardest but the new bunnies always made it a little easier. It’s true that the rabbit population doesn't need to be as large as it had been in the past, but it also doesn't need to disappear completely.
Instead of killing them all or shipping them to Texas (can't imagine how much that must cost, just because of rabbits) can't we just neuter them? Wasn’t there a vet not that long ago, like last year, who offered to do it for free?
There has got to be a better way of dealing with the rabbits than taking away student happiness.
Leo Jan. 21, 2011, 5:01 p.m.
We just lost another, possibly our best, layer of happiness. Thanks senior management!
William Jesse Jan. 21, 2011, 5:40 p.m.
I wonder how much the university is spending to spin the rabbit card? 1200, 1600, upwards of 2000 rabbits on campus? This is basically a bunny version of ethnic cleansing. And thanks to the Martlet for carrying this story.
Caroline Jan. 21, 2011, 6:21 p.m.
Domesticated rabbits (or any pet) have no place living the feral life at UVic. As long as there are rabbits on campus there will be the suffering of them and unnecessary deaths. For every one of those "rabbit babies to squeal over" there are hundreds of babies dying of starvation or being brutally killed by wild animals or other rabbits. Rabbits suffer from many ailments like any other pet and for them to endure that without medical attention is inhumane. As long as there are rabbits on campus this will happen. Your comment "looking at cute, furry things actually lowered stress levels" is purely your own interpretation. When I see a domestic rabbit fending for itself I feel extremely stressed and concerned. You seem to lack an understanding of how difficult it really is for the rabbits; THEIR lives on campus are very stressful. They are constantly on guard for predators, endure illness and pain without treatment, are malnourished, females are bearing offspring continually and this is difficult at the best of times, unaltered males/females fight for territory, no protection from the elements, there is not always fresh drinking water, fed junk by students ... the list goes on and on. Furthermore, a presence of rabbits on campus reinforces the incredibly irresponsible act of animal abandonment. No domestic rabbits on campus is a very good thing. Think about it.
Kathleen Terrio Jan. 22, 2011, 12:02 a.m.
Hi - as a member of the Texas group and a teacher at UVic I thought I might add some information. The university chose to make the decision to cull the rabbits when students were finishing their year last April. This might explain why more students were not involved with the protests. Thousands of letters, phone calls and petitions from all over the world were sent to the administration suggesting the rabbits stay on campus and be controlled though "TNR" (Trap, Neuter and Release) and one local vet Dr. Shaw offered to sterilize the entire rabbit population at no cost to the university, but the administration would not budge. Finally, if we didn't want to stand in front of traps everyday or watch helplessly as thousands of rabbits were exterminated, we reached a compromise by agreeing to taking sterilized rabbits to sanctuaries. I was heavily involved with the Texas group and went on two grueling trips delivering the rabbits to the sanctuaries through horrendous weather conditions but the end result was worth it. The rabbits are now living in a very comfortable and amazing sanctuary where they are happy, healthy, and safe. Many volunteers put in thousands of hours of their own time and some money was raised or donated from the community but for the most part, the permit holder Laura Leah Shaw has gone into great personal debt to make this happen. I just to make this perfectly clear - we did not support the forced exodus - we just had no other choice. I too really enjoyed the rabbits as well and I believe they were harmless and were a big part of campus life. However, when faced with a choice of 1000 rabbits being killed or having them relocated to a safe place - which do you think is the better choice?
Also, let's be honest - maybe the students did enjoy having them there but did the rabbits actually have a good life? What happened to these rabbits during the extreme weather conditions, what kind of food source did they actually have and how many rabbits were killed by predators or maimed by cars?(not to mention disease and starvation) I also heard of abuse towards the rabbits as they were not protected properly.
On the other hand, maybe there could have been other options and one wonders if there had been a louder voice from the students, would we have been able to do things differently. Now again we are facing the university's decision to cull rabbits after March 1 and again I wonder who will speak up against this.
Alexia Jan. 22, 2011, 5:04 p.m.
Clearly, Uvic administration does not feel a need to approach the rabbit issue ethically. While there are courses taught at the campus in animal ethics, the student body has not been consulted in regards to the fate of thousands of animals lives. It is time to bring this contentious issue to everyone at Uvic, and not simply kept a secret among select adminstration.
elle Jan. 22, 2011, 6:36 p.m.
So NOW the students are noticing the issue? Where were you all last spring when the people who ended up saving the rabbits were BEGGING for your help? One would think that on a university campus the first people to take a stand against injustice would be the students, especially when your own administration was behaving like a dictatorship (even if you didn't care about the rabbits, the fact that the administration out and out lied, refused to even listen or speak to the other side and behaved in a completely underhanded, sneaky and quite frankly, corrupt way, doesn't bode well for anyone - if this is how they are, how will they handle other issues that you DO care about?) Apathy, ignorance, passivity...the students did absolutely nothing to help, didn't pay attention at all and yes, there were plenty of opportunities before the year ended and certainly when school started up again. So much for universities being the hotbed of activism, youthful energy and standing up for what is right - what will you lot be like when you are middle-aged?! I am not one of the volunteers - I live elsewhere - but I watched this situation closely as it unfolded. I was appalled and disgusted by the lack of interest and help from the students and thought it utterly pathetic. But the administration is STILL doing underhanded, sleazy things. After all that has happened, the massive efforts and tireless work done by the volunteers and what they have achieved (and the administration did NOT fund or help the volunteers in any way, incidentally) they are STILL on the warpath! NOW they are planning to kill any rabbits that they find in the future (even though they've now been virtually eliminated) ostensibly in order to "discourage people from abandoning them"!!! (Anyone who is going to abandon a rabbit isn't going to care too much what happens to it afterwards; and how would they know anyway?! It's hardly a deterrent to punish the poor rabbits for someone else's idiocy!) If you think that is a logical or sensible plan, keep your silence. If it sounds a little odd and/or completely stupid and wrong to you, do some research (at which point you will discover the actual mind-boggling extent of just how stupid and wrong it is, because there's a lot more to it than I care to get into here) and GET INVOLVED. You now have a chance to show your mettle and make right for the lack of inaction last year, and, at the very least, show the administration that they cannot continue to act like despots.
Shannon Jan. 22, 2011, 8:27 p.m.
Why not do a catch, spay & neuter and release back where they were found? Does UVic have a Veterinary Medicine curriculum?
Roslyn Cassells Jan. 23, 2011, 12:26 a.m.
It's about time UVic students showed a care for the rabbits, and not just for selfish reasons...if you fall into that category, and you are opposed to the killing of any rabbit remaining on campus after Feb 28 2011, please read the following note:
UVic is proposing to kill all rabbits remaining on campus at the end of Feb. 2011. Here are some ways you can help the rabbits:
Supporting the groups currently taking any rabbits trapped at UVic would allow them to take as many as possible before the deadline, I am also attaching a list of UVic admin to voice your concerns to.
A group is proposing an alternate solution of small managed colonies of sterilized animals, I have posted it on the Action for UVic Rabbits facebook and you can see it at: http://www.uvicrabbitrescue.com/
Donations can be made online at www.earthanimalrights.org for the over 550 rabbits at EARS and at www.uvicrabbitrescue.com/ for the rabbits (around 200) at the PNE.
here is the list of UVic administrators: "Bruce Kilpatrick Head UVic External Communications" abk@uvic.ca, "Chancellor Murray Farmer and Chair Board of Governors Ray Protti" usec3@uvic.ca, "Communications Valerie Shore" vshore@uvic.ca, "Director Occupational Health and Safety Richard Piskor" rpiskor@uvic.ca, "Gayle Gorrill Vice President Finance and Operations" vpfo@uvic.ca, "Patty Pitts" ppitts@uvic.ca, "President David Turpin" dturpin@uvic.ca, "UVic Facilities Manager Tom Smith" tomfmgt@uvic.ca
Thanks!
Roslyn
Laura-Leah Shaw Jan. 23, 2011, 7:53 a.m.
The preceeding comments have said most of what there is to say. The administration wants a rabbit free campus, and after they remove the rabbits, they say any rabbit found after March 1st will be trapped and killed. The Ministry of the Environment states rabbits must be roaming free for 30 days before they are declared feral and can then be killed by the land owner. With a campus cleansed of rabbits how will the university know that a rabbit found has been there for 30 days or more. If they kill the rabbit on it's first sighting they would be breaking the Ministry of the Environment rules - wouldn't they - unless they choose to mark the found rabbit with an expiry date 30 days from discovery, and then go back to get it for killing!
It is all madness - why not post signs telling people not to dump rabbits - and state the fines involved, as well as listing the contact info for sanctuaries and spca where the animals can be sterilized, helped and cared for.
Two of the rescue groups have been mentioned above, and the 3rd main group, which has received lose to 300 rabbits to date and is moving sterilized rabbits to Texas can be found through TRACS at: http://tracs-bc.ca/uvicbun.html Volunteers and donations are needed move more rabbits to Texas, as well as to provide ongoing care for the life-time of the rabbits.
There is also a petition you can sign at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-bunny-kill/
My name is Laura-Leah and I hold the permit to move the rabbits to the Wild Rose Rescue Ranch in Texas. I DO NOT support the university in their decision to kill rabbits found on campus from March 1st onwards, and have asked for my permit to be extended so we can continue taking rabbits, rather than them being killed. I also offer my contact info to be posted throughout the campus for people to contact if they feel the need to 'dump' their pet rabbit.
Carmina Jan. 23, 2011, 4:01 p.m.
The Rabbit Advocacy Group of BC is helping with the UVic rabbits being held at the PNE before heading to Precious Life Animal Sanctuary in Washington. Ever since last Spring when the University announced a mass extermination, there's been tremendous support to spare their lives. Senselessly killing off other species for human interests has to stop. How about some ethical leadership for a change? www.rabbitadvocacy.com
Terry Jan. 23, 2011, 4:37 p.m.
UVic Admin. is brutal. If rabbits are found on campus after Feb.28 they should be dealt with humanley, not killed.
Ivan M. Jan. 24, 2011, 7:23 a.m.
Elle -- the reason most UVic students didn't do anything (and are still not going to do anything, despite the fact that most probably do care in some way) is because along with our grueling full-time courseload many of us are also working nearly full-time hours at exhausting crap jobs in order to be able to pay for exorbitant tuition fees, rent, and groceries. There are so many issues out there in the world needing attention, and we only have so many spare minutes each day. In earlier days, perhaps even just five or ten years ago, university students had a lot more time for activism. Just reading this article and the comments below has used up all the free time I have for the next few days.
I am pretty depressed at seeing this totally rabbit-free campus as well, and while I would love to do something more about it, I just do not have the time and energy -- I need to do well in my courses. Anyway, it's also quite apparent that administration will just do whatever they want in the end.
Gemma Karstens-Smith Jan. 24, 2011, 7:07 p.m.
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Sandra Feb. 5, 2011, 5:45 a.m.
For those of you concerned about the deadline of March 1, rest assured there are so few rabbits on campus that they can easily be trapped and transported within the remainder of February. I work at UVic; I have been all over campus and have seen less than 10 rabbits. Please don't turn this into another round of protests. I don't want to see any rabbits die either but if you're that concerned, get out there and help get the rest of the rabbits to a safe place.
And for those of you who think rabbits belong on campus for your amusement, you obviously turned a blind eye to the tremendous suffering while rabbits limped along on missing or broken legs, tried to survive with missing ears or eyes, dragged themselves around with a broken pelvis, were picked up by hawks or run over by cars, were chased day in and day out by students and campus visitors, were attacked by unleashed dogs; perhaps you missed noticing the hundreds of rabbits die as construction on campus destroyed occupied dens and warrens, or maybe you looked away when increasing numbers of baby rabbits starved to death because their mother was killed or because she gave birth in a location that made it impossible for the babies to get to any source of food once they were weaned?
I have witnessed each and every one of these misfortunes and I for one am happy the rabbits are gone to a much safer place where they can live their lives in peace.
Heather Feb. 8, 2011, 4:55 a.m.
This is how they do it at a Civilized Institution. (Long Beach City College)
http://media.www.lbccvikingnews.com/media/storage/paper785/news/2011/02/02/CityStyle/Rabbit.Population.Controlled.At.Lbcc-3973132.shtml
Kath Feb. 11, 2011, 5:39 p.m.
To be honest, I wish the University had just had the balls to do all this years ago. They're just rabbits and they cost the University more money than they're worth. And really, the University took so long to do this because it feared upsetting the students. Different avenues didn't work and at the end of the day the University can do what it wants with its grounds. The only reason people are upset is because they're cute. That's about it. People should really be mad at the irresponsible owners who dumped their rabbits on the grounds in the first place!
King Rabbit. Sept. 12, 2011, 9:34 p.m.
To hell with you and your self centered, phony, holier than thou, "we get to decide what is natural" pseudo-scientific ANALysis of the situation.
Bunnies RULE. it is time for umans to BOW DOWN to the rightful masters of the land!
You will pay for these crimes, when the bunny uprising comes to make you pay for your war crimes. We are millions, we are strong, we are Bunny.
HEAR the bunny war-song! http://soundcloud.com/piero-amadeo-infante/indestructible-bunny-original
READ the bunny manifesto! http://www.sfbg.com/36/18/x_talkback.html
SEE what horrific fate awaits those who defile the sacred bunny! http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/u/usagi.jpg
Piero Infante, field Marshall, global bunny resistance network.
Charles March 21, 2012, 2:03 a.m.
The real bottom line is Uvic administration do not give a rat's ass for anyone or anything. Their major interest is money. Look at the parkade proposal, the future rape of the Queenswood property as examples. The rabbits, one time mascots of the campus are now the enemy. The university has turned into a factory where you give them your money and they give you a piece of paper after four years which you can fold into a hat and cover your head while you flip burgers. (comment with thanks to Charley Harper!) As far as I am concerned the university is run by a bunch of self centered fools with Smith as the puppet (yes man!).