Volunteer Rabbit Wranglers Wanted

Dýrahjálp Íslands and Villikanínur, in cooperation with Reykjavík Animal Services, have announced that they are seeking volunteers to help with a once-in-a-lifetime project: the rounding up of several rabbits in the Elliðárdal area of Reykjavík to assess the condition of the rabbit population. If the project goes well, the second phase will entail rounding up all the rabbits and finding homes for them.

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Rabbits are not native to Iceland. The present stock of rabbits in this country can be traced back to 2010, from a few pet rabbits that were released into the wild near Elliðaárdal. From that point, they experienced a population boom of sorts. However, the population was decimated recently by a viral pandemic.

But that is not the only challenge rabbits in Iceland face. These rabbits were never intended to survive Icelandic weather conditions, and as weather worsens year after year, they are struggling and suffering unnecessarily.

As such, this project hopes to gently capture some of these rabbits, have them examined by vets, treat them if needed, and then find homes for them. If all goes well, the project will be expanded to include as many rabbits as possible.

Those interested in participating are asked to fill out this form. You can also help through donations; both of these groups are seeking carrier cages, water dishes, litterboxes and other items. If interested, you can contact them at villikaninur@gmail.com and gretasoley@dyrahjalp.is.