ARCHIVED - Elche farmers seek help in combating a plague of rabbits

10,000 rabbits have been hunted this year in the Bajo Vinalopo!

The local farmers union in the Bajo Vinalopó area of the province of Alicante, which includes the municipality of Elche, report that their fruit and vegetable crops are under threat from the unprecedented growth over the last year in the rabbit population of the area.

According to the Comunidad de Labradores y Ganaderos de Elche as many as 10,000 rabbits have been killed by hunters so far in 2016, but the situation is still so serious that a move to seek help from the regional government in Valencia is being considered.

The worst affected areas are in the south of Elche, where the severest damage is being done to saplings and younger trees and the rabbits are still breeding like, well, rabbits. They are making burrows on untended land where little is done to maintain the plots, especially in the Vereda de Sendres, Derramador, Daimés, La Hoya and along the banks of the Vinalopó.

It is thought that this rabbit infestation is another consequence of the three-year drought which is still ongoing in Alicante and the rest of south-east Spain, since the mountains have become less rich in vegetation than is usually the case and the animals have been forced onto lower ground in search of food. Apart from using traps, other methods of controlling the population which are being considered include the use of ferrets.

Perhaps special offers could be made to restaurants specializing in preparing rabbit paella?

Image: Wikicommons (JJ Harrison)

For more local news, events and other information consult the Elche edition of Alicante Today.