The private extermination company hired by Leisure World has been using poisoned bait to "control" the rabbit population, but an increase in vegetation, coupled with the drastic reduction of predators due to human encroachment, has allowed the colony to grow. The extermination company has now applied for a permit to use pellet guns to shoot and kill the rabbits.

"If the shooting goes on, it is my hope that the management and complaining residents of Leisure World bear witness to the wounding and dying of these rabbits, whose habitat was taken over by Leisure World," said Bill Dyer, IDA’s Southern California Field Representative. "For $40,000, the cost of building one green on a golf course, all of the rabbits could be trapped, sterilized and released. There are simple solutions to solving this so-called problem, there is absolutely no need to brutally shoot and kill these wild animals. Coexisting with wildlife enriches our lives."

In 1992, an offer to relocate the rabbits was rejected by the Department of Fish and Game. However, the killing of red foxes and coyotes – natural predators of rabbits – by the US Navy, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of the Interior at the nearby wildlife refuge and US Navy Weapons Station has created the current problem.

"People must learn that they cannot move into a rural area and expect to take control of wild animals. We can handle these problems with compassion, caring and intelligence instead of always turning to killing as the answer. Otherwise, these problems are destined to repeatedly occur. It is humans who have upset the balance of nature, but it is the animals who pay the ultimate price," said Dyer.

Please direct your polite opposition and concern to:

Mr. Bill Narang Administrator Seal Beach Leisure World (Tel) 562-431-6586, ext. 310 (Fax) 562-598-2009 Email: grf@lwsb.com

Captain Gary Maiten Seal Beach Police Department (Tel) 562-399-4100 (Fax) 562-493-0634