Animal rights groups have expressed horror over the “cruel” concreting of rabbit warrens at the RSPCA ACT’s Weston headquarters last month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Concrete slurry was used to fill a number of holes on the site on August 28, prompting concerns for animal welfare from the union representing staff at the headquarters, United Voice.
Animal Liberation ACT has also voiced its alarm over the actions, which spokesman Bernie Brennan said left members “horrified”.
“The more humane solution would be, leave them be,” he said.
“They’re part of nature, whether we like it or not.”
Mr Brennan said current eradication methods utilised by some organisations were “horrific and cruel”, adding that investments should be made into finding a non-lethal solution.
“It’s not acceptable - rabbits, they do feel pain,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s acceptable to kill any animal by starvation or dehydration. There have got to be non-lethal methods of controlling them.”
However chief executive of the RSPCA ACT Michael Linke said the warrens had been concrete-filled to protect the health and safety of the society's workers, not to eradicate a pest population.
“'There are 57 rabbit holes on site and five have been filled,” Mr Linke said.
“There are three or four holes in a high-traffic area and we took a decision to start the slurry. It didn't flood the warren. Ultimately, the solution that I came up with was to protect the staff first.”
Mr Linke said it was never intended to kill the “scores” of rabbits on the 20,000sqm site, with the death of a couple of rabbits an accepted risk.
However, the Animal Justice Party has raised questions over the number of animals onsite at the time of the operations.
Canberra-based member Marcus Fillinger, who recently failed to gain an ACT Senate position, said it appeared a lot of assumptions were made regarding the number of rabbits potentially affected.
“They could potentially meet a very cruel and slow demise,” he said.
“I find that most concerning, that this is being conducted by an animal welfare association.”
In June, Mr Linke told an ACT Legislative Assembly estimates hearing that rabbit eradication at the site would occur in the most humane way possible.
“We would cover rabbit warrens with traps, we would get rabbits out of their warrens and into the traps and we would humanely euthanize them,” he said.
- with Matthew Raggatt
