Into the rabbit hole: The role of feral domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) in a Canadian city and the complexity of population care and management.

Populations of feral domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) are found occupying countries around the globe and successfully adapting to new environments. Despite these widespread populations, research on this species remains limited particularly in urban areas and in continental climates. This study presents an innovative One Health introduction into understanding the complexities of feral rabbit management and care in a Canadian city. This study was conducted in the city of Calgary within the western province of Alberta. This research sought to address three research questions, 1) what impact do feral rabbits have in the urban ecosystem of cities? 2) what concerns do key stakeholders have surrounding feral rabbits in the living environment? and 3) how does this create challenges regarding management or care decisions? An investigation of literature as well as interviews with key informants ascertained important One Health factors of feral populations that impact human, animal and environmental health aspects of urban habitats. Introduced rabbit populations can influence ecosystem food webs in ways that impact herbivore and predator interactions, as well as cause changes to the landscape in which they interact. The threat of diseases, particularly rabbit haemorrhagic disease, causes concern for both feral populations and native lagomorph species. These ferals may also perpetuate and influence human-wildlife interactions in urban areas. Interpretation from the interviews substantiated this situation as a One Health challenge in understanding feral rabbits in the urban, identifying challenges to stakeholders, and concerns managing implications to ecosystems. These factors give reasoning to the complicated nature about the care and management of feral rabbits in Calgary and demonstrate why efforts focused on the current population remain relatively undetermined. Given the concerns and difficulties identified by informants, and the implications of feral populations in urban ecosystems, further investigation into caring for or managing these populations is needed.