Wascally Wabbits.

During a recent Rapid City Council meeting, Alderman Bob Hurlbut wondered aloud whether the city is experiencing an increase in cottontail rabbits.

Hurlbut said he has noticed quite a few - at his home and where he works, more than he's noticed in the past couple of years.

"I don't know that it's any significant issue. I just thought it was an item of curiosity," he said.

Hurlbut wondered if anyone else had heard reports from constituents about rabbits breeding like, well, themselves, or if the city's urban wildlife committee was studying the issue. He hasn't heard much feedback.

"I don't know that people are taking it particularly seriously, and I wasn't taking it too terribly seriously. I do find it an item of curiosity because I've seen dozens of rabbits. More than I've seen in the last two years," he said.

Steve Griffin, wildlife biologist for the state Game, Fish & Parks Department, said his office hasn't heard anything about booming bunnies, but he agreed that wet weather earlier this summer produced a lot of vegetation, which makes for good habitat and a food source.

Rabbits are prolific breeders, and in the right conditions, if there are two or three pairs in an area, it will look like an increase.

"I guess I haven't heard that we've got any more or less than before. It's a cyclic thing, but I sure can't say for sure whether we've gotten an influx," Griffin said. "But I don't think the city is being overrun. We don't need to bring in the Pied Piper. It could be a local thing, in one yard or neighborhood."

Jerry Cole, Rapid City's parks and recreation director, said he, too, has noticed more rabbits in his backyard this year, but he hasn't heard any complaints about an abundance of bunnies in the city's parks system.

"I think it's just a good year for rabbits. I have noticed there's a lot of foxes this year, too," he said.

Cole said the fox population is not becoming a problem; but they do eat rabbits.

"I really haven't noticed a problem with rabbits. Maybe people are complaining about them eating gardens. I don't know," he said.

The city's biggest problems with urban wildlife have been the size of the deer herd and the number of ducks and geese at Canyon Lake. A deer-kill program has been in effect for a few years to reduce those numbers, and an education program, begun this year, urges the public not to feed the birds at the lake.

Cole said the city plans to trap domestic and cross-bred birds at Canyon Lake and find homes for them on farms around the country. The trapping likely will occur when the lake is drained as part of the Canyon Lake spillway reconstruction and creek bypass projects, though it isn't clear when those projects will begin.

Cole said when the lake water is removed, the wild birds likely won't be there as much, making it easier to trap the domesticated and flightless birds, many of which can't fly or are too fat to fly because of people feeding them so much.

Trapping rabbits or implementing an annual rabbit hunt is not something Hurlbut advocates. He has gotten some ribbing from council members about his rabbit comments and he admits that it obviously is not a critical issue compared to others.

"We've got such a problem with ducks and geese at Canyon Lake, and from an urban wildlife standpoint, that's our problem right now," Hurlbut said. "But I didn't know if it's something the city should be aware of or pay attention to if it were to become a problem. The saying does go all the way back to medieval times in England about multiplying like rabbits."

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com