Yes, New West has a rabbit problem, too

The past few months have been busy for New Westminster’s Animal Services. And it sounds like they’ve got a similar issue other municipalities in Metro Vancouver have been facing for years. 

“Every municipality has a big challenge with rabbits and trying to find either foster homes or permanent homes for rabbits. That is probably the biggest challenge that we face right now,” explains Dylan Myers, superintendent of parking and animal services for the City of New Westminster. One of the stand-out rescue stories for Myers and the staff at animal services involved a rabbit found in January of last year.

“A baby bunny [was] being chased by a cat. It was brought to the New Westminster shelter. The person [who found it] mentioned they had seen several more rabbits in the residential area. What started as a search for a few loose rabbits turned into an animal welfare investigation.” Myers says a total of 11 rabbits were eventually found; two were found dead, one had to be euthanized, and another passed away after being brought into care. 

Myers says the owner of the animals received nine separate fines and has since been ordered by an adjudicator to pay up.

“A lot of the time, unfortunately, people get rabbits and they don’t have the education or understanding about how much work they may be,” Myers explains. He says Easter is the time of year where it gets a bit more problematic.

Fortunately for animal services, Myers says they have exceptional staff who have helped corral their furry, long-eared friends. “Our team does great work trying to limit that,” but he points out that their shelter wasn’t always necessarily equipped to handle hosting a bunch of rabbits. “We only have a certain number of rooms, and when they’re little rabbits, if we get cats and dogs, now we’re trying to move everything around.”

Myers says it’s easy to make things work when you love animals. Last year, Animal Services had 250 animals come through its care; of those nearly half – 111 –  were adopted out:  

• 12 dogs; 

• 60 cats;

• 39 small animals – this includes rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds

“As far as adoptions go, there was an uptick when COVID-19 hit, just based on people working from home. Cats are generally quick to go depending on certain scenarios,” Myers says. New Westminster is in a unique position as it doesn’t have a BC SPCA branch, as many other Metro Vancouver municipalities do. Myers says it’s the same idea: their operation is 24/7, and includes feeding, animal enrichment, and ensuring two-and-four-legged friends are ready to find a home. 

You may also see their bylaw officers enforcing rules around leashing, for instance. Doggy behaviour in the city is top of mind, with Parks and Recreation running a campaign on “Doo Diligence" through the month of May. 

“Now that things are starting to open up again, we know there are a lot of challenges going on, but just remembering animal safety, and respecting a lot of the off-leash bylaws, because not everyone is comfortable.”

Another thing to mull over as the world starts opening up again: volunteers. Myers says they are another part of the operation still in need of a second look — once the shelter can begin to welcome them again. One worry is around the lack of dogs that tend to make it to the shelter, as they tend to get adopted out quickly. Myers says dog-walking is a big draw, so he’s hoping as things open up, people might consider some of the other animals who need love and support. 

“We’re looking at later this year, especially looking for individuals interested in small animals such as rabbits. It’s still really important to the rabbits [that they get affection]. We’ve looked at programs like “Reading to Rabbit” programs for kids,” Myers says.

As for those who might want to donate food or funds, Myers says it’s something they appreciate immensely. “We’ve always got our donation box right in front of our office.”

He says food donations must be packaged and can be dropped in the box. There is also an option to donate through Canada Helps, foster an animal, and get involved in community events. 

“If you know anyone that needs an animal, or is looking [to adopt], definitely apply.”