THE TRAPPING OF RABBITS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18310, 29 July 1921, Page 6

THE TRAPPING OF RABBITS.

TO THE EDITOB. Sm, —I notice that at th© conference of the Council of Agriculture, recently held in Weillngton, Sir Walter Buchqjtian condemned trapping on the ground that' it destroyed tho rabbit’s natural cnernios. I wculd like to ask which is the rabbit’s greatest enemy—the cat, the stoat, or the trap? After It years' experience with rabbits, I emphatically say that the trap is, when combined with netting, and I am sure all experienced men will agree with me- Some people have the mistaken idea that- stoats, cats, etc., go about both day and night, doing nothing else but killing rabbits. As a matter of fact, a stoat or weasel will rarely kill more than one fullgrown rabbit per day, and a cat will live on onr rabbit for three or four days. A cat will also kill a stoat in preference to a rabbit, and it is quite a common occurrence to find cats end rabbits living together. Poison is all right, if the rabbits will eat it My experience is that one will get a successful poisoning only once in every three or four years. I note that Mr T. A. Pannett, a man who has successfully destroyed the pest on 7000 acres, found nothing belter than traps as an agency of destruction. Cut the ti-aos out, and in three years 99 per cent, of th/runs in Central 01 ago would be tengntless. As a means of destroying the pest, I would suggest (1) that the Government supply netting at cost price to the runholder; (2) that the Government purchase at full value ajl rabbitskins from the runholder, and retain so much per cent, from the proceeds of the skins to pay for the netting (this would give the struggling settler a chance to procure netting); ,(3) that all runs be numbered and skins sent in to the County Council dice every two or three months. It would then be easy for the inspector to see which runholder was not doing his duty.—l am, etc., Teaps. Lauder, July 27.