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They are everywhere now, and have been for years, some 2,000-3000 of them, chewing through gardens, attracting predators and treating a picturesque spot like a giant public washroom.

But no more: last week an Alberta judge threw out a last-minute application from an Edmonton man to save Canmore’s bunnies. The town has hired a trapper. Local bylaws have been revised allowing for hunting within the town limits.

And unlike Kelowna and Victoria, says Ms. Vickery, who has been soliciting donations to rescue the rabbits through the Save Canmore Bunnies campaign, nobody seems to care.

“I haven’t given up hope yet,” the rabbit rescuer says. “The town still stands with its offer to release the rabbits to us, if we can provide a sanctuary for them. What is barring our progress right now is a lack of donations and a lack of community support.”

Could it be that the bunny, to Canmorites, is no cuter than the common house mouse, and could it be that they have finally had enough of their world famous feral rabbits?

“In 2006 we did a town survey and it came back pretty much 50/50 as to whether anybody wanted to do anything about the rabbits,” says Canmore Mayor Ron Casey.

“Back then, it was really a localized issue. It was one part of town that was infested and it’s the same old thing: if you don’t have a cold, why would you take anything?

“But since then the rabbits have spread out across the town, and we have started to see more and more predators, mostly coyotes, coming into town.”