Naples neighborhood hopping with rabbits following ‘hare-raising’ neglect
Colorful domestic rabbits are hopping on the lawns of the Orange Tree neighborhood in northern Golden Gate Estates—seemingly a scene from a fairy tale, depending on whom you ask.
The multi-colored rabbits are descendants of a “hare-raising” escape, or rather rabbit-rearing gone awry, said residents and rabbit rescuers. Several varied species of pet rabbits let outside more than a year ago by a resident have grown to a population of about 100 and counting mixed-breed European rabbits in Orange Tree.
“I saw so many bunnies, I was so amazed. It is so crazy and weird,” said Landon Keller, 13, as we walked through Orange Tree with friends around sunset. “You would never have thought this would happen in a community like this.”
He was surprised as many as 100 rabbits were abandoned to live outdoors, he said.
“The bunnies are super fluffy and nice,” Keller said.
“It’s kind of wild—and they’re beautiful,” agreed his friend Brock Brewer, 15.
Opinions vary as much as the rabbits’ colors and breeds
“Every yard has four or five rabbits in them, and it’s fun to see,” said Joey Threlkeld, as he sat in his driveway, tossing out fruit and vegetables for the rabbits—several of which had new litters recently.
“In the beginning, I saw them more as a problem. These bunnies can’t defend themselves. They’ll
repopulate and be a nuisance,” Threlkeld said. “Now, I like having them around.”
The idea of someone seizing the rabbits has Ken Aller hopping mad.
“You touch a rabbit, you will not see tomorrow,” warned Aller, who then returned to a more jovial demeanor.
However, many of his neighbors welcome the rabbits’ rescues.
“This isn’t something you want to put you on the map,” said Threlkeld.
Cycle of danger and DAS response
In the first two weeks of May alone, the Allers buried three domestic rabbits killed in traffic along Orange Grove Trail, he said.
Residents rattle off names given to the rabbits, from Pappa Notch, who may be missing, to Oreo, Cinderella and Milkshake, among dozens of others.
“We hope the best for them, and when they go missing, we worry. But, we know there’s another batch coming,” said Threlkeld.
Around the bend, another man shoots at the rabbits with his pellet gun to prevent his dog from killing them, yet several remain in his yard.
The domestic bunnies are territorial, said Jennifer MacBeth, president of Southwest Florida House Rabbit Rescue. Granulated fox urine is a safer way to deter the rabbits, she suggested, sharing a tip from Inyoni Organic Farm in Golden Gate Estates.
Darrell Tourtillott has tried catching the bunnies in his yard to no avail. Meanwhile, his dog has eaten six of them and became sick from eating rabbit feces, he said.
Calls to Collier County Domestic Animal Services yield little help, Tourtillot added. DAS officers said they don’t have the resources to capture the domestic rabbits. Instead, if people purchase traps and bring the rabbits to DAS, then the county agency will take them in and help find the rabbits homes, animal control officers said.
Who let the rabbits out?
The rabbit trail of Orange Tree began one to two years ago with as many as 80 rabbits in the backyard of a resident who breeds them, according to the locals’ bunny tales and reports from rescue group leaders.
The rabbits of Orange Tree were reported to DAS to have originated outside the home of Christopher Guzzetta, who could not be reached for comment. Residents and rescuers said they used to have contact with Guzzetta, but he has since stopped communicating with them.
Public records from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and DAS indicate numerous calls and reports of rabbits running loose and often injured in Orange Tree, but no citations were reported for any violations of county code and state law pertaining to animal abuse, neglect or abandonment, according to those records.
How stray and feral rabbits fare
Many of the domestic rabbits are not likely to live to a full year, let alone to their full potential of 14 years, if they remain living outside in Orange Tree, rabbit rescuers estimated. However, some residents believe that the stray and feral rabbits will not survive a captive life for very long if caged now.
Some of the older rabbits appear to have ear mites and injuries, but are still producing more young. Two rabbits in January can become 200 in a year, MacBeth warned.
The nonprofit has rescued several domestic rabbits from Orange Tree through a network of veterinarian resources and foster homes.
The domestic rabbits are a bit like stray cats, but pet bunnies have a lower survivability outdoors than cats and dogs do, said MacBeth. Vehicle strikes; cat, dog and wild animal attacks; cancers from lawn treatments; malnourishment; heat stress; parasites; infections and other maladies are harming and killing the European rabbits of Orange Tree, rescue groups report.
Hopping to the rescue, or not?
DAS leadership did not comment upon requests by this reporter throughout May. Then-director Marcy Perry was reportedly out of the office in early May, and Tanya Williams, newly appointed head of the department, did not respond to requests for comments as of the end of May.
Meanwhile, this spring, legislation meant to curtail the woes of domestic rabbit colonies throughout Florida, HB 701, died in the House.
“We are willing to help but we need the support of the community and Domestic Animal Services,” said MacBeth.
“We are good at wrangling rabbits,” she said, but added that wrangling with people could be more difficult.
“There’s no problem, and we don’t need fixing,” said Aller.