An unusually large number of rabbits have been living in Kjarnaskógur forest in Akureyri, North Iceland, this summer, wreaking havoc at the nearby camping ground Hamrar.
Photo: Zoë Robert/Iceland Review.
Rabbits have been found in the area over the years but according to manager of the camping ground, Tryggvi Marinósson, this year their presence has been increased considerably. .
“They’re causing damage, both to the vegetation, especially to young plants, and also to larger trees and then they’re also digging holes in the camping area, which isn’t very popular,” he said.
According to Tryggvi, although children enjoy playing with the rabbits, the animals aren’t popular with everyone; rabbit holes and rabbit droppings have proven a problem.
Tryggvi told ruv.is that something needs to be done to stop the spread of the animals but that he has been unable to do anything as a permit is required from the Environment Agency of Iceland to cull the rabbits.
Last year, Ævar Petersen, a specialist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History (NÍ), told Fréttablaðið that rabbits have earned the right to be considered a wild animal stock in Iceland, due to their extensive spread in the country. The stock numbers hundreds or even thousands of animals.
Related:
17.12.2012 | Rabbits a Menace at Icelandic Farms
27.09.2012 | Rabbits Part of Iceland’s Wild Fauna
ZR
