Environment – Pet or pest?

Some say a weed is just a plant in the wrong place. Context makes the difference between a plant and a weed, or a pest and a pet. If perspective is everything, then when we are dealing with animals, we need to take special care.

Sweet little blue forget-me-nots are considered a weed by many, but in my garden they’re a spring joy. My neighbour’s cat is plump and seems well-loved, but when it’s in my garden prowling and predating my garden birds, and pooping in my vege patch, it’s a damn pest. And rabbits are despised by farmers for their impacts on soil structure and damage to pasture. But in my house and garden, rabbits are friends.

When our old cat died, we decided against getting another, for reasons of wildlife protection and the desire, as vegetarians, not to feed meat to a pet. But life without a warm furry companion is somehow less, there’s something special about relationships with other species that have character and quirk. Even science shows you’re happier and healthier when you live with another animal. A rabbit, pest to many, seemed the ideal pet for me. They’re vegetarian, they’re warm and cuddly, they’re smart and have great personalities.

My bunny Duggie is a white, lop-eared friend. He’s a house and garden bunny, and comes in or out as he sees fit. Sometimes he spends the day on the deck, but other times he’s under the orange tree, snacking on leaves and grass, and oblivious to the rain and cold. At night he sleeps under my bed. He is fully house trained and has a litter box in the corner.

His worst habit – and it’s quite a bad one – is to chew electrical leads, an expensive habit and not a healthy one. He comes when he’s called, when he’s ready or when the food container is rattled. He tells us when the chooks are hungry (so he can have some, too).

He loves a scratch on the ears, sits on my lap when I’m watching a movie and sometimes, when he’s happy, he flops on his back with his little snow-shoe paws in the air. He’s like a cross between a dog – loyal and loving, and a cat – smart and independent. He’s one of the best little companions I’ve ever had.

So when I see Otago hillsides ravaged by rabbits, I feel conflicted. Farming and historic deforestation have taken their toll, and rabbits are an unfortunate and destructive part of that picture. I can see the problem. I’ve seen rabbit warrens in the South Island built like cities. I respect the need to control pests. But even wild rabbits have a Duggie inside, are no less than a cat or a dog, and feral animals wreaking havoc on native birds want a better life, too. Whether they’re pets or pests, humane consideration is required.

Christine Rose
christine.rose25@gmail.com