Friday 28 November 2014

Nine thousand rabbits culled on tiny Hebridean island and sold to France

One of UK's biggest rabbit culls carried out on Canna after population explosion following previous cull of rats


By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent

5:07PM GMT 26 Nov 2014

Nine thousand rabbits have been culled on a small Hebridean island, and sold to restaurants in France, in one of the biggest operations of its kind in the UK.

The large-scale cull was ordered on Canna, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, after a previous cull of rats allowed rabbit numbers to spiral out of control.

A team of six men spent a "manic" three months on the island killing the rabbits using methods including traps, dogs, ferrets, shotguns and rifles. The carcasses were then sold in France for £1 each.

Despite the operation, an estimated 7,000 rabbits still remain and one man is carrying on the cull on the tiny island, which is the westernmost of the Small Isles and has around 11 residents.

Edward Cook, of Evergreen Rabbit Control in Hampshire, won the contract to carry out the operation and said it was “one of the biggest rabbit culls in UK history".

He added: "They had done quite a bit of damage. It's made a massive difference. The island looks green again."

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