During the commission meeting in April, the city considered a rescue operation to secure homes for the rabbits, at a cost of about $11,400. The commission also received an estimate of about $8,500 for the cost of trapping the rabbits for 12 months, the city said. During that process, the rabbits would not be killed, but relocated. But the harvest plan did not include cost estimates to relocate the rabbits, the city said.
While The Associated Press reported that the capture plan would include killing the rabbits, Wilton Manors denies this.
Ultimately, the city commissioners directed the city manager to investigate and develop a plan for the animals.
On May 11, the city hosted a meeting about the rabbits and decided that «the best course of action» was to partner with a rescue group «that would humanely recover and relocate the rabbits,» according to the city statement.
“Therefore, the City continues to evaluate and research rescue organizations to partner with. Our goal is to see these rabbits placed in the hands of people who are passionate about providing them with the care and love they need,» the statement said.
In a separate statement, Wilton Manors Police Chief Gary Blocker reiterated the city’s commitment to treating the cuddly cottontail rabbits with kind hands.
“The safety of this rabbit population is of the utmost importance to the City, and any decision to get involved will surely place these rabbits in the hands of people who are passionate about providing the necessary care and love for these rabbits,” he said. saying.