Rabbits allowed to multiply now face removal by any means

[Catherine]

A well intentioned, but short sighted pet lover, in Auckland, started with 4 rabbits in 2014. They were allowed to live freely on the property and for a few years the numbers were not too bad. Now suddenly there are over 400 rabbits. The woman has been ordered to get rid of all, but 16 of the rabbits. 
Sadly 200 have been euthanized. The rest will end up in animal shelters.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/j...et-rabbits

This is a case of caring about rabbits, but not caring enough to keep their numbers under control. Because they were not regulated, 200 pet rabbits have been killed. They did nothing wrong. They were not problem pets individually. There were just too many of them. If the original 4 had been neutered this would not have happened. At any point when the numbers started to grow, the rabbits could have been rounded up. It was a form of animal neglect to let them multiply until so many of them would be killed. 

There is more to having pets than loving animals. It also requires responsibility and acting in the pets best interest.
It was not in the rabbits' best interest to let them  go wild and breed uncontrollably. I hope the rabbits in the shelters are able to find good homes. There are so many of them that they may have trouble finding people to care for them.