WILTON MANORS, Fla. — (AP) — When Alicia Griggs walks out of her suburban Fort Lauderdale home, Florida’s latest invasive species hits the street: lion-headed rabbits.
The rabbits, who sport an impressive flowing mane around their heads, want the food that Griggs is carrying. But it also represents their best chance of survival and movement where this domesticated breed belongs: inside homes, away from cars, cats, hawks, the Florida heat and possibly government-hired exterminators. .
Griggs is leading efforts to raise the $20,000 to $40,000 it would cost a rescue group to capture, sterilize, vaccinate, shelter and then donate the 60 to 100 lion heads that currently inhabit the Jenada Islands , an 81-home community in Wilton Manors.
They are descendants of a group that a backyard breeder released illegally when she moved two years ago.
Watch: Rabbit Invasion: East Orange County Residents Say They’re Overrun by Rabbits
“They really need to be rescued. So we’ve been trying to convince the city to do it, but they’re dragging their feet,” Griggs said. “They think if they do that, then they’ll have to get rid of the iguanas and everything else that people don’t want.”
Monica Mitchell, whose East Coast Rabbit Rescue would likely lead the effort, said capturing them, treating them and finding them homes “is not an easy process.” Few veterinarians treat rabbits, and many potential owners are hesitant when they discover the amount of work the animals require. Griggs agreed.
“People don’t realize they are exotic and complicated pets. They have complicated digestive systems and must eat a special diet,” said Griggs, a real estate agent. “You can’t throw table scraps at them.”
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Wilton Manors is giving Griggs and other supporters time to raise money and relocate the rabbits rather than exterminating them, even though the city commission voted to do so in April after receiving an estimate of $8,000 of a trapping company.
The vote came after some residents complained that lionheads were digging holes, chewing outdoor wiring and leaving feces on sidewalks and driveways. City commissioners also feared the rabbits would spread into neighboring communities and towns and become a traffic hazard if they ventured onto main streets.
“The safety of this rabbit population is of the utmost importance to the city, and any decision to involve us will be certain to see these rabbits placed in the hands of people who are passionate about providing the care and love needed for these rabbits,” police said. » Chief Gary Blocker said in a statement.
Watch: Central Florida Rabbit Protection Group Sees Growing Rise in Abandoned Rabbits
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which often removes invasive animals, told the city it would not intercede. Rabbits pose no immediate threat to wildlife.
Lionhead rabbits aren’t the only invasive species causing headaches or worse for Floridians. Burmese pythons and lionfish are killing native species. Giant African snails eat the stucco of homes and carry human diseases. Iguanas destroy gardens. Like the lionhead rabbits of Wilton Manors, these populations all started when people released them illegally.
But unlike these species, Florida’s environment is not friendly to lionheads. Instead of the 7-9 years they live when properly housed, their life on the outside is painful, brutal and shortened.
Read: Rabbits run wild in Florida neighborhood
Lionheads’ thick coats cause them to overheat during Florida summers, and their lack of fear makes them vulnerable to predators. Nibbling lawns is not a healthy diet. Their illnesses are not treated. They need owners.
“Domesticated (rabbits) released into the environment are not equipped to thrive on their own,” said Eric Stewart, executive director of the American Rabbit Breeders Association. He said the breeder who released them should be prosecuted, a path the city has not taken.