Last year, after noticing more rabbits out and about, including one in his own backyard, The Local’s Nicholas Hune-Brown set off to find out whether there were, in fact, more wild bunnies in Toronto. Friends and neighbors also noticed them everywhere, but the wildlife experts, conservationists, and city employees he spoke to couldn’t confirm what everyone was seeing. Stranger still, it seemed like no one cared to know. Hune-Brown decided to dig deeper, turning his rabbit obsession into a delightful piece on urban nature—and a bunny-boom mystery that seems to remain unresolved.
“We do get frequent inquiries this time of year for wild buns despite being a domestic rabbit rescue,” said the head of Rabbit Rescue, her weariness apparent through the screen. “I don’t track wild bun concerns.”
The experts at the Toronto Zoo didn’t have any information. A group of master gardeners said they weren’t aware of a swell of rabbit-related complaints. The conservation group Ontario Nature weren’t any help, suggesting I “could do an online search to see if any information is available,” as if I hadn’t spent the previous week googling every single permutation of rabbits + Toronto + population increase.
More stories by Nicholas Hune-Brown
Breakdown at the Racetrack
“A cluster of fatal horse injuries at Woodbine raises questions about the future of the sport.”
Have You Been to the Library Lately?
“Librarians once worried about shushing patrons. Now they have to deal with mental health episodes, the homelessness crisis, and random violence.”
