Contract shooters have been called in to help the Australian parliament in Canberra control a rapidly surging rabbit population swarming its grounds, a senior official said Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2021) Contract shooters have been called in to help the Australian parliament in Canberra control a rapidly surging rabbit population swarming its grounds, a senior official said Tuesday.
Asked in parliament about the rabbit plague, the chief executive of the National Capital Authority, which administers the grounds, said target shooting was chosen over poisoning because birds of prey feed on rabbits.
"We do some targeting shooting in some places," Sally Barnes was quoted by the ABC broadcaster as saying during a parliamentary hearing.
Airgunners have reportedly been deployed to hunt the animals, using thermal-imaging optics. The rabbit carcasses are then given to a local zoo.
The number of rabbits in Canberra skyrocketed after wet weather produced large quantities of grass and weeds. Rabbits have been a headache for Australia since they were introduced in the 19th century, competing with native animals for food and eroding the soil.
