Seal Beach, CA…Seal Beach Police Chief Mike Sellers granted hundreds of wild rabbits living at Leisure World in Seal Beach another chance at life when he denied a permit to shoot and kill the animals. Despite being besieged with calls and faxes from concerned citizens demanding that the rabbits be spared, Chief Sellers stated that he denied the request over a concern for public safety. However, the fate of the rabbits is still uncertain.

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. Because of a Seal Beach law against discharging firearms within city limits, the extermination company had to apply for a permit to use pellet guns.

"Thanks to the rational and compassionate Seal Beach Police Department, the wild rabbits living at Leisure World have been given a temporary stay of execution, but their fate is still far from decided," said Bill Dyer, IDA’s Southern California Field Representative. "All of the concerned parties involved need to keep investigating other options. 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."

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, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of the Interior at the nearby wildlife refuge and US Navy Weapons Station has helped to create the current problem.

"Denying the request to shoot the rabbits shows that our society’s concern for animals is progressing and evolving," said IDA’s President, Elliot Katz, DVM. "Slowly but surely, the animal protection movement is getting out the message that animals are more than mere objects or commodities, and communities around the country are reaffirming this by moving away from automatically killing so-called ‘problem’ animals."