City of Sonoma passes ordinance to allow everyone to farm rabbits

[MarkBun]

I’m sorry I didn’t find out about this sooner else I would have worked at getting people to the City Council when the vote was being made yesterday.  However, it needs to be back before the council at on Sept. 3rd for final approval.  So anyone who lives in Sonoma and can weigh in will need to.

Basically, it says that everyone who pays a $123 fee can have up to 6 rabbits, with a maximum of 50 on lots larger than 10,000 square feet for a home food source.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080821/NEWS/10606

 

[MimzMum]

Between this and the Safeway post… I need duct tape for my head because it’s going to explode.

Why all of a sudden the interest in farming/selling rabbits for food? I don’t understand. >.<

[JK]

Me too Mimz.  Gee Markusdark you are just full of good news today….

[MarkBun]

Yeah, I know. Just thought y’all would like to know issall…

[kimberleyanddarren]

probably because everyone is going through hard times with all the price rises, and bunnies are cheap easy food i guess *shrugs* stupid people.. ugh >.<

[MimzMum]

Vegetables are better and cheaper if you grow them yourself (if you have the room, of course). >.< We could feed the Third World with the corn we grow for butchered cows and to prepare ethanol.
I just can’t see it. I look at my bunnies and I think of stuff like this going on in other places and I hang my head in shame.

Oh, and Markus, no one’s bashing you. We can’t hide our heads in a hole. Thank you for letting us know about this.

[Vinnie D.]

So much for Californians being all vegetarians eh? I suppose you could always use the nuclear option and sick PETA on them but they make all animal lovers look bad.

[kimberleyanddarren]

i keep hearing bad stuff about PETA but being in the uk i had never really heard of them before, whats their story?

[Nadine016]

of course we want to know about things like this. thanks for posting this markusdark!! [soooo nice of you not to keep us in the dark!] I’m sure this article gets overlooked by many regarding the rabbits.

this is very disturbing news!

first I thought hey this is all about chicken…no pictures of rabbits. you REALLY have to read the full story. is that how they are trying to ignore the rabbits??? plus they want the female chicken but no roosters because of possible noise complaints?

I can maybe understand the chicken [not really] since chicken are not pets. but rabbits sure are pets!

what the heck is going on here?!

Who’s gonna control the “up to 50” rabbits thing? you know that’s just gonna get out of control…

mankind takes a step backwards…again. I can only hope this ordinance will NOT go through!! GOSH!! what is it with people wanna eat rabbits?

cheap food source or not! heck! go vegetarian! people don’t need to eat ANY kind of meat [carcasses] to survive in this world.

isn’t there a rabbit rescue in CA who can speak up about this?

 

[Nadine016]

as long as ppl think like those on rabbitsonline!!!!!!…

 

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=38748&forum_id=1&jump_to=510598#p510598

 

 

 

 

[LittlePuffyTail]

That makes me very sad. There’s no need for this, it’s disgusting.

[MarkBun]

I believe only residents of Sonoma City can speak at the hearing – since it is a city thing but I could be wrong.

The thing is that most people who are here in the modern day really don’t have the stomach to kill their own meat, so hopefully the numbers who actually buy the license to keep the animals will be low. This means that checking up on them should be relatively easy. Hopefully after a while, they’ll see the folly of this bill – but not before Sonoma City is covered in the plethora of rabbits that have been released/escaped into their ecosystem.

I don’t think that the people see the issue with that. If chickens get free, without roosters, they can’t repopulate and even if they did, it would be in eggs where local wildlife (raccoons, etc) could get at them easily enough. Buns dig burrows to protect their families and it will definitely get out of hand. There will be no way to tell who the rabbits escaped from or who let them go – and there is NO way that there aren’t going to be buns that get away from their owners. People, on the whole, are too stupid. And just wait until they see the damage the rabbits can cause on their other avenues of food sources. Anything planted is fair game to a rabbit.

I might write a letter explaining this to them but they’ll probably not listen.

[RabbitPam]

I think you should write. People, being dumb, will probably not have had any of this pointed out to them. Try to tie it to the election year, locally that is, so it’s in some politico’s best interest to repeal it if it’s law, or reject it if not quite in place yet. Like, does your local politician want his name linked with cute little fuzzy bunny sandwiches??

[MarkBun]

Here’s what I wrote the council member who voiced some concern about the issue:

Dear Mr. Cohen,

I got your name from the article about the farming of rabbits and chickens in the city of Sonoma.  There is an area that I think hasn’t been looked at with this proposal.  Population control.  I am not worried about the chickens as no roosters (males) will be allowed.  But there will be a mix of male and female rabbits.

 A female rabbit can have 4-8 babies every 30 days – with rabbits being sexually mature after just 2 months.  If someone is unlucky enough to get 7 females to one male, that can be in upwards of 50 rabbits for that first month alone.  Even 4 pairs would have an average of 24 babies that first month.  If the people are not able to use that many rabbits, they will quickly find themselves over the allotted amount.  And in order to avoid any fees for infractions, I believe most people will just let their excess loose.  Not to mention the number that will simply escape due to people being negligent in the care for the rabbits.  

 This, in turn, will cause an increase in the feral rabbit population.  Although most domesticated rabbits will perish shortly after being in the wild, a few will survive and begin to reproduce.  A single pair of rabbits can multiply to over 6,000 in a year – with it growing exponentially from there.  Even if only 10% of them survive, that is 600 rabbits per year from just one pair and it’s offspring.  Now imagine how many rabbits will be set free/escape in a year and how much damage they would have not only on other agricultural crops but also the influx of predators for such a plentiful food source.

 Please consider this/bring this up at the final review on the Sept 3rd. meeting.  Animal rescues and control just do not have the facilities for these animals – many are already full of rabbits due to similiar issues of negligence.

 Thank you for your time.

 Sincerely,

 

[JK]

That’s an excellent letter!  Do you think we should do a petition?

[RabbitPam]

That is an excellent letter, Markus. I am also wondering what the laws would be if someone did exceed the maximum allowed number, possibly with the intention of sales to others. I would imagine it would get into farming laws, zoning laws, and subsequent violations. Definitely send it soon and see if you get a response.

[MarkBun]

It’s already been sent to them. I’d be a little worried about a petition – I have never known them to do any good.  I’d be afraid of it looking more like a list of ‘kooks’ that will actually weaken the case.  But then again, I could be wrong – I don’t have any experience with petitions that actually did anything.

They said that there will be enforcement of the proposal and a review in 6 months after (if) it is passed. I would imagine that the first few months there would be some increase in checking in/on/up on people who bought the license. My guess is that if they had more than X rabbits, they’d get either a warning or a fine – at which point that person WILL begin letting go of any excess stock in order to avoid future fines.

Well either that or they’d pick up their slaughter and put the excess into cold refridgeration. The important thing to remember is that your average person will not house rabbits for food. The pure gore that is required would put most people off to it. It will only be those few people – but those people are the ones that I feel are most likely to let their rabbits free since they regard them as such a simple animal.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Good for you, Markusdark for writing that letter. Sometimes the obvious needs to be explained in a manner fit for a 5 year old, even to people who are supposed to be “running” things. Maybe actually seeing the possible population numbers written down will help this cause.

Please make sure to keep us updated.

[MarkBun]

Trouble with humans, we look to the here and now instead of the then and later…

The thing that got me about it was the math. A single pair of buns, averaging 6 buns (3 pair) per litter with those buns giving birth to 3 pair in 2 months, etc. , would end up with 6,500 rabbits within a year.
Funny thing is that if you drop it to 4 buns per litter, you get just 1,000. They’d catch up in under 18 months though

[MimzMum]

Markus, may I please NOMinate you for President?

That is an excellent letter, as has been said. You have the ability to argue a case with common sense and logic, with a stirring amount of compassion, three qualities that seem to be outlawed in our current state of mind in this country. You are very similar to my dad in terms of eloquence, and he’s a Psyche major. I highly respect your talent in this area.

All those in favor of this NOMination, say AY!

*raises hand and waves it frantically*, “AY!

[Lightchick]

AY! I second!

AYAYAYAY!

(Nobody interview Dono–he’s still bald in patches from Maryann-abuse!)

Oh, wait…maybe I should take this whole comment back, as I’m about to start bonding feral Robbie to diva Lizzy and will need Markus’ advice, as an expert on divas, ferals, and bonding…I hearby declare myself a weeble, and will not wobble in either direction…!

[MarkBun]

Mimz – I wouldn’t make a good president as just being the guy in charge with common sense and logic wouldn’t work since there is absolutely none in D.C. A sane man in a room with crazy people is the one who is out of place. I just have worked as on on-line community rep for a few online games and having to deal with them was a lesson in clarity. The more people rant and rave, the less the others hear you.

Lightchick – I will be happy to give you all the advice I can, but I have to stress with you as I have done with everyone else who has called me a bonding ‘expert’ that I was unable to bond Maryann and Dono on my own. I tried for 4 months and got them to a point where Maryann would bite Dono only if he happened to be near her (wouldn’t go out of her way to get to him) but it took someone else just three days to get Maryann to the point of grooming him.

Although Maryann is a rough groomer. I don’t think she understands the concept and sometimes I expect to see her lick one of Dono’s ears right off. But he’s such a sweetie when it comes to her. She rarely grooms him so whenever she is cleaning herself, he immediately sticks his head wherever she’s grooming in hopes that she’ll just continue onto his face.

[Ana]

I’m from Sonoma County. Sad, sad news. BUT, I think it’s harmful when people generalize about all Californians, etc., or don’t look at the good animal rights taking place. If it wasn’t for PETA cows would still be mistreated– but California has worked on changing that. As sad of news as this is, it’s not a reflection on the maliciousness of people, but the ignorance. Also, it’s important not to forget the good people do for animal rights…

[msarro]

Posted By furbaby on 08/26/2008 10:14 AM
I’m from Sonoma County. Sad, sad news. BUT, I think it’s harmful when people generalize about all Californians, etc., or don’t look at the good animal rights taking place. If it wasn’t for PETA cows would still be mistreated– but California has worked on changing that. As sad of news as this is, it’s not a reflection on the maliciousness of people, but the ignorance. Also, it’s important not to forget the good people do for animal rights…

This is OT, but PETA has done some good, but not for cattle. If anything PETA and Oprah made things worse for cattle. They used to use stun guns which destroyed the frontal cortex of the brain before they euthanized them, so they felt no pain. Because this was deemed cruel and a danger for spreading mad cow, and of all things, hoof and mouth disease, they now use blunt nose stun guns.

 

First, there have been a grand total of 200 cases of mad cow in human beings. That’s not a very high number at all. Further, human beings cannot contract hoof and mouth disease. If most people had ever spent time on a farm they’d know that the forehead of a skull is over an inch thick. Because of this the blunt nose stun guns do pretty much nothing to stun the animal. They then get to be fully awake when they are killed.

And now they’re complaining because the animals aren’t properly stunned.

They’re chasing their tails because they have their hearts in the right place, but not their brains.

Because of the current situation I think there are going to be many more laws passed allowing animals to be raised as livestock… its sad, but people need to eat.

I just wish they’d look into things such as aquaponics instead (aquaponics = self sustainable fish farming where the fish fertilize plants, and the plants in turn oxygenate water and purify out fish byproducts). A small aquaponic pond can feed a village without any disturbance to the local ecosystem.

[RabbitPam]

Actually, furbaby, I always tend to generalize about Californians the other way, ie. that it is full of a much higher percentage of rights activists, human and animal; progressive alternative life styles, medicines, arts and even fashions. So the news about this in Sonoma seemed even more surprising to me than if it had come from mid-west farm country.

[MimzMum]

Hey, I was born in California and the things that go on there surprise me to this day. There are great highs and great lows…and then some things that just make you go, hmmmm….
But no, not all Californians are to be generalized. Just the ones that move in from outside. ^_^ j/k

You should see the stigma that accompanies a Californian living in Alaska…talk about prejudice! 0_0

And yes, Markus, I know that in the government, the asylum us being run by the inmates, but I think we’d all like a dose of sanity in that sickness, yanno?

But yeah, I would worry about you if you accepted the nomination too. ^_^ D.C. turns people.

[MarkBun]

Posted By MimzMum on 08/26/2008 5:15 PM

But yeah, I would worry about you if you accepted the nomination too. ^_^ D.C. turns people.

Oh, you better BELIEVE it would turn me.  Oh, I’d try to rip off as many large companies as possible.  “Wha’ts that Exxon?  You want to drill in Colorado?  Sure, give me 50 Billion dollars.  Thanks.  Now, get out of Colorado, you idiots!”

The only difference is that I wouldn’t lie about it.  I would take an approach similiar to Henry Rollins on acting – I don’t care if I suck or not, it’s the director’s fault for casting me. (

[kimberleyanddarren]

*walks in, looks around, gives everyone a funny look, walks out again…..* lol

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

^^ LOL

Thanks for letting us know about this Markus and good letter!!

[Nadine016]

isn’t there a rabbitrescue that could speak up regarding this?

or the humane society?

house rabbit society?

 

[Nicci607]

markusdark:

do you have an update on this???

 

 

[MarkBun]

Not as of yet. It was on the Agenda but the meeting took place at 6pm yesterday so news about it probably won’t be out until Friday. And it seems the City of Sonoma is about two meetings behind on posting the minutes.

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