Bunny rabbits at Denver Airport have caused thousands of dollars' worth of damage to cars, having become fond of eating exposed wiring. The USDA is unable to remove them fast enough. [CBS Denver]

  • http://thelizardman.com The Lizardman

    Its too bad they cancelled their ferreting program so long ago…

    • xian

      That’s because the hawk program they instated to kill off the ferrets was causing problems with air traffic at the airport.

    • BillStewart2012

      Ferrets hunt prairie dogs, and one reason that the black-footed ferret is nearly extinct is that ranchers have tried hard to wipe out prairie dog colonies (because livestock trip in prairie dog holes and get injured.)  It’s especially an issue in the great plains states including Colorado.

      • http://thelizardman.com The Lizardman

        I was referring to the domesticated ferret program the USDA used to run to eliminate pests including rabbits – for instance farmers could call them to help deal with rodents. Trained ferrets working with dogs & ferreters can take down entire warrens in a day (search on YouTube for examples in modern day UK) The black footed ferret is another animal entirely (my wife & I keep domestic ferrets & also contribute to the breeding & reintroduction program for the black footed) Black footed ferrets would go after the rabbits but not efficiently enough to resolve this.

        • http://fieldguidetohummingbirds.wordpress.com/ Sheri L. Williamson

          I’m sure ferreting is effective against colonial European rabbits, but I doubt it would be much use in controlling the largely solitary North American cottontails.

          • http://thelizardman.com The Lizardman

            There is a difference to be sure but it has been done with some success historically – particularly with a very narrow & focused application like this (just keeping them away from the damn airport)

  • Philboyd Studge

    The rabbit is traditionally seen as a psychopomp; the carrier of the dead. These attempts to strand travelers can be only in order to supply sacrifices to the darker entities below. Yet another manifestation of the Lovecraftian horror that is the Denver Airport.

  • Felton / Moderator

    “They cut the power.”

    “What do you mean ‘they cut the power’?  How could they cut the power, man?  They’re animals!”  

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/QCGOSVXBEAG7HHTZ5MNMYTZ2HM Cleo

    Nice how the parking company avoids costs on either end – the USDA comes to pick up their critter problem, and customers are responsible for damages.

  • Daemonworks

    So… Why exactly is there exposed wiring at an airport?

    • L_Mariachi

      FTFA: They’re getting up into the engine compartments of parked cars and chewing the “exposed” wires there.

      • Sparg

         This. ^ We have problems around here with chipmunks and squirrels gnawing.  I used to hear the little bastards grinding on my rain gutter.  My father-in-law’s Buick was attacked.

  • Richard Schneider

    obligatory Monty Python reference

  • Wreckrob8

    Wikipedia

    According to legend, the púca is a deft shapeshifter, capable of assuming a variety of terrifying or pleasing forms, and may appear as a horse, rabbit, goat, goblin, or dog.

    In some regions, the púca is spoken of with considerably more respect than fear; if treated with due deference, it may actually be beneficial to those who encounter it.

    The púca is a creature of the mountains and hills.

    Are there Irish in Colorado?

    • Felton / Moderator

      If you see a six-foot rabbit snacking on parts of your car, do not interrupt it!

      • Daneel

        Even if his name is Harvey?

  • http://hellsdonuthouse.com/ Hell’s Donut House

    “Kill one and thousands take their place!”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB_4qiOzJTE

  • chgoliz

    There are house cats and barn cats….maybe it’s time for garage cats.

    Alternatively, greyhounds would have a field day, but they can outrun most cars on a short straight stretch (I know this from personal experience) so from a customer convenience (and car damage) POV, that particular “solution” might be out of the frying pan into the fire.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=598813719 Debbra Myers

    that is what happens when you build a Airport on top of Indian Burial grounds!!!

  • James Penrose

    Capture a few, paint verses from the Koran on them and turn them back loose.  The TSA will go ape*** and we’ll have footage worthy of “Bunny” Hill at his best as they try to catch them and force them to go through “security”.

  • Jupiter BFPOE

    This has to be related to all of the New World Order/Masons/swastika runways/Disney’s frozen body stored in the basement rumors about DEN.

  • http://twitter.com/onalark Steph

    When we go camping up in the Sequoias there are warnings about the golden marmots that will climb into your car and eat the wiring.  Go there in the summer, and you’ll see the locals have all wrapped their cars in tarps with bungie cords to keep them secured. 

    One of the camp rangers once told me that they think it’s the lactating females that like to eat the insulation.  Wondering if the same is true of bunnies?

    • L_Mariachi

      Yellow-bellied marmots. Golden marmots are found in Asia.

    • SoItBegins

       Pickles and wiring?

  • gijoel

    Cotton tailed horrors.

  • fuzzyfuzzyfungus

    I wonder if rabbits are sharp enough to learn to avoid wiring in non-vehicle settings?

    If not, ‘bait’ wire coated in the horrid toxin of your choice would be an option…

    • L_Mariachi

      We used to have a cat that compulsively chewed electrical cords in the house. You’d think the shocks would be deterrent enough, but no (maybe that’s what she was going for.) Pet supply places sell nasty-smelling (to animals) stuff you spray on anything you don’t want a pet to be interested in, might work for rabbits.

  • http://twitter.com/Polackio Matt Popke

    I used to work for a package delivery company in Fort Collins, CO. We were located out by the Loveland airport (not because we had any planes landing there, but just because it was close to the highway. Our planes operated out of DIA). We had the same rabbit problems out there. Twice, my car was disabled by the little bastards.

    They only did it during the winter. They’d find our cars in the parking lot shortly after we arrived. The engines were still warm, so they’d climb up in there to escape from the cold. Then they just chew on whatever isn’t made of metal. The first time, they chewed through a hose that went to the fuel pressure regulator (must have tasted awful when they got through it). The second time they chewed on the wiring harness that ran to the spark plugs. The only way I could stop them ultimately was to wire up a chicken wire barrier on the bottom of my engine compartment. 

    There’s really nothing else you can do. They can get under just about any fence. If you don’t find a way to block them at the individual vehicle, they’re going to get in there and chew away.

  • Rick Suddes

    I sprayed my engine with Rataway Fragrance  from Rataway.com and there is no smell at all.
    Fox urine has a smells.