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- inactive, on 04/19/2009, -0/+67Skinner: Well, I was wrong; the lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death. - penguin42, on 04/19/2009, -1/+60You'd think the problem with the pythons might solve the problem with the rabbits.
- PeachesTheCow, on 04/19/2009, -2/+37Who are these clowns who give their kids rabbits for Easter? Idiots.
- kenism, on 04/19/2009, -0/+23“They’re multiplying like crazy — that’s what they do.” said Mr. Beasley, 61. QFA
Female rabbits have two uterine horns, allowing rabbits to carry two litters at once. - ortichi, on 04/19/2009, -4/+27I thought it was The Onion
- thelastcivilian, on 04/19/2009, -2/+24That's what they thought about anacondas and the problem with the Jennifer Lopez.
- jmcneilly, on 04/19/2009, -1/+22Wait... I could be given to a kid as a Christmas present?
- sockpuppets, on 04/19/2009, -4/+25I've had it with these ***** rabbits on this ***** plain.
- poprocksandsoda, on 04/19/2009, -3/+24You think this is bad, have you ever been to the Island of Misfit Toys? It's a terrible sight.
- inactive, on 04/19/2009, -3/+21In this economy a free roaming rabbit means one thing only: FREE LUNCH.
- Khast, on 04/19/2009, -3/+17For those who can't get in because of the request to register.....
OKALOOSA ISLAND, Fla. — What is it about Florida that inspires pet owners to set their captives free?
Green iguanas released decades ago now splash in the pools of Palm Beach. Peacocks roam free in parts of Miami, Burmese pythons are spreading through the entire state — and here, on this two-mile shoelace of beachfront land, the bunny problem keeps multiplying.
Dozens of rabbits, the spawn of Easter gifts from as far back as 2002, now run wild in a field of two-story condominiums.
Actually, wild is an exaggeration. “I have two that let me pet them,” said Denise Callahan, 55, out for a walk on Wednesday with her dog, Gigi. “One’s Peter; the other’s Mama.”
A few feet to her right, a snow-white rabbit with dark eyes sniffed the sand near a boat trailer. Behind her, a chubby brown one hopped past a parked Hyundai. Clearly, in a neighborhood of mostly parking lots and small apartments, these bunnies felt at home.
John Wagnon, 45, a bartender working on a bicycle in his garage, said they often cheered him up. “Some days,” he said, “you have a bad day at work, you turn the corner and you say, ‘Bunnies!’ ”
He pointed excitedly, mimicking his usual reaction. “It’s like the homeless situation,” he said. “Where else would they want to live?”
Next door, Russell Beasley just shook his head. He had been building cabinets in his garage when he felt compelled to offer an opinion. “They’re a pain,” he said, revealing a Massachusetts accent. Antibunny bile followed: He compared them to rats; he said they would attract snakes; he said they would cause car accidents because drivers would swerve to miss them. “People might think they’re cute, but they’re a menace,” said Mr. Beasley, 61. “They’re multiplying like crazy — that’s what they do.”
Previous cases of unintended fertility in Florida have led government officials to step in. State rules that took effect last year force anyone who buys a python to purchase a $100 annual permit, and the slithery reptile gets a mandatory microchip that would let officials track the animal back to its owner.
Palm Beach County Commissioners have pushed for the same policy to deal with its leathery iguanas.
Here in Okaloosa Island, the solution has been a little more old-school: wire traps with carrots as bait. The local animal shelter put them out after Easter this year, and the first rabbit was caught on Wednesday, in the front yard of Phil and Shirley Dykes. Their little patch of green had already become ground zero for all things bunny because they lacked a dog and provided a delicacy — healthy rose bushes.
Even with a large, confused brown rabbit in the cage, a half dozen others sat nearby, including a black, furry baby that would fit in a child’s hand. “This is an animal friendly environment,” said Mr. Dykes, 68, a retired engineer who once worked for NASA.
Standing on his front porch, he admitted that his wife had to convince him to host the trap. His soft spot for animals was well-known; recently he let a group of doves nest in his garage. He even left the door partly open so they could come and go as they pleased.
The rabbits initially received the same warm welcome.
“It’s amusing to watch them play in the yard,” he said, adding, “I didn’t mind them until they ate the shrubbery.”
His wife was less generous. “I just had three in the garage, and one came right up to me,” she said. “No thank you.”
Mr. Dykes insisted, however, that they not be killed — a common request here that previously kept the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society at bay. Dee Thompson, director of animal control at the agency, said a solution emerged only in the last few days: a man with lot of land in Walton County volunteered to take them after seeing an article about them in The Northwest Florida Daily News.
“He already has rabbits on his property,” Ms. Thompson said. “He said he wouldn’t eat them.”
Residents here are likely to miss the bunnies if too many disappear. Cassandra Higgins, 25, said they did not cause much harm, and even her dogs, Lady and Rugar, seemed to like them.
When told about the traps, Ms. Callahan said, “Oh no.” Come to think of it, she said she had not seen Mama — “a huge brown rabbit with scars all over her like she’d been through the mill” — in days. And as she walked Gigi down the road during a gorgeous coastal sunset, she turned around with a final call to action.
“Save the rabbits!” she said, laughing, knowing it sounded a bit ridiculous. “Save the rabbits!” - thelastcivilian, on 04/19/2009, -3/+15At least they're not giving them fat men with beards for Christmas.
- piratebr0adcast, on 04/19/2009, -0/+12Thank you. I asked here in the comments why some of us can't see the article and got dug down. It's like a guy can't ask a simple question around here. I'll add more snark next time.
- deadasdisco, on 04/19/2009, -1/+12title fail. there's no such thing as unwanted bunnies.
the more the merrier. - rtlampwork, on 04/19/2009, -1/+11My suburban Marietta neighborhood could donate some coyotes and red tail hawks that would clear that up in no time. We have no problem with rodents, slow skinny cats, pet chickens, or small yappy dogs. Ah, the beauty of the food chain.
- BossKey, on 04/20/2009, -0/+9That's what happens when you release unwanted condominiums into the wild, they just multiply like crazy.
- Chaoticfist, on 04/19/2009, -1/+9Well if i was a hungry homeless dude in Florida i would be dining on rabbit tonight :)
- brunevm, on 04/19/2009, -0/+8I actually live on Okaloosa Island. This is hilarious, can't believe we made digg. Anyways there are multiple groups of rabbits that live around the island. It's funny to drive down the road and see them. Most of them live in the sand dunes and stuff but there hard to catch.
- MikaStar, on 04/19/2009, -0/+8"People might think they’re cute, but they’re a menace,” said Mr. Beasley, 61....Watch this guy get billed as the "evil bunny hater".
- lololol1, on 04/19/2009, -0/+8Mongooses
- garret35, on 04/19/2009, -3/+11That is crazy...here in the North it would be a simple matter of calling them all "Stew" lol
- modgirl17, on 04/19/2009, -0/+6aww. I want one!
- brokenex, on 04/19/2009, -2/+8Save the Rabbits!
- inc595, on 04/19/2009, -2/+8tastes like chicken
- steelreserve211, on 04/19/2009, -0/+5Maybe it thinks you're a sex offender.
- Khast, on 04/19/2009, -0/+5I had this problem earlier this afternoon....the same website. It apparently picks and chooses who gets let in without registering....then asks the rest to register. (And the morons who get in, think that people who can't are doing something wrong.)
It is the ***** New York Times...in the case of Digg, I would say they have an advantage of getting visitors by the thousands....let in a couple hundred, and reject the rest....they get good reviews....and possibly get people to sign up for their service... - duggdowncatisad, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5I'm sure this is exactly how Jesus wanted us to celebrate His resurrection.
- WalkerTXclocker, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5There is nothing wrong with giving an animal to your child as long as you realize that there is a good chance you are going to end up with a new pet and not your child and you're okay with that. My daughter has had a pet rabbit for 3 years and honestly it's been one of the easiest animals to care for as long as you keep things that can be chewed off the floor. They can be litter trained and are generally quite content to be left alone.
- x2cprincess, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5Umm.. did you just have a stroke? Or did I?
- FlaG8r, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5It's no joke that condos have been multiplying like crazy in Florida for the last 2 decades.
- NJnorm182, on 04/19/2009, -3/+8God forbid rabbits should be eaten by wild animals--like they were for oh, about 40 million years since the origin of their species.
The pythons will be well fed this spring. - dj_sea2005, on 04/19/2009, -0/+5but then how do we get rid of the snakes?
- judicar, on 04/20/2009, -0/+5The more you know ...
- judicar, on 04/20/2009, -0/+4>"Bunnies!"
Classic. - Qbryzan, on 04/20/2009, -2/+6I blame Sting:
♫If you love some bunnies, set them free♪ - Eagle193, on 04/19/2009, -1/+5I hate the fact that people are too stupid to plan ahead about raising pets they don't need. Florida has enough problems.
- solboldi, on 04/19/2009, -0/+4Burmese Pythons Will Eat Them
http://ecoworldly.com/2009/04/01/burmese-pythons-s ... - factsahoy, on 04/20/2009, -0/+4"a field of two-story condominiums"
They're planting and raising crops of condominiums? - FlaG8r, on 04/20/2009, -0/+4Easter bunnies not Playboy bunnies.
- jmcneilly, on 04/19/2009, -1/+5Night of the Lepus anyone?
- arsenyv, on 04/20/2009, -0/+3Not sure why you are being dugg down. Animals are not toys to play with and then throw out on the street. At least have the decency to bring them to a shelter.
- inactive, on 04/19/2009, -0/+3http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4313978.stm
Gators. - inactive, on 04/19/2009, -0/+3I'm pretty sure many cities have these problems. In Seattle, its the Woodland Park area.
http://www.woodlandparkrabbits.org/ - meteors, on 04/20/2009, -0/+3There's not necessarily any more animals set loose in Florida than any other state. It's just that the very mild climate here allows feral species to flourish.
- jmcneilly, on 04/19/2009, -0/+3Tanstaafl.
- spriggig, on 04/20/2009, -0/+3We have wild rabbits in my area, most mornings in the spring and summer I see one or two on my front lawn. A lot of them end up as road kill and the coyotes and snakes get most of the rest so it's pretty well balanced.
In Florida it seems like if they were banned at the source, the pet stores, then the balance would eventually be restored since there are natural predators around. - ShiningSquirrel, on 04/20/2009, -0/+3Nope.
Cats and domisticated rabbits actually get along together very well. The cats would be more likely to lick and cuddle with the rabbits then try to eat them. - deconsecrator, on 04/20/2009, -1/+4Rabbits make poor pets, especially for homes with kids. They are just too high-strung, and are very sensitive to loud noises and are not durable like cats (e.g. susceptible to spinal injuries). Do yourself and the animal a favor and don't do it.
- antoniuk, on 04/20/2009, -0/+3Hmm Florida has a python problem and now a rabbit problem? Sounds to me like the python problem is about to get a little worse
- blup3ace, on 04/20/2009, -0/+3people who live in florida
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