Sweden burns bunnies for biofuel
Rabbits are terrorizing the public parks of Stockholm, so Swedish officials have decided to kill them and burn them as fuel.
By Stephanie RogersThu, Oct 15 2009 at 12:17 PM EST
9
Photo: Wikimedia Commons When a plague of ever-reproducing bunnies is ravaging your public parks, what’s an industrious community to do but kill them and burn them for fuel? The city of Stockholm, Sweden, culls thousands of rabbits every year and has begun transporting them to a special heating plant in Karlskoga to keep Swedish citizens warm and toasty this winter.
|
WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now.
Learn More |
Earn Points
What's this? |
Stockholm employs hunters to shoot the rabbits at dawn when they emerge from their burrows. The city killed 6,000 last year, and this year’s tally is at 3,000 thus far. The city sees burning them for fuel as an advantageous way to dispose of the bodies.
Not all Swedish residents are pleased with the plan, particularly animal rights activists who believe there are better ways of dealing with the rabbit overpopulation problem.
“Those who support the culling of rabbits surely think it’s good to use the bodies for a good cause. But it feels like they’re trying to turn the animals into an industry rather than look at the main problem,” Anna Johannesson of the Society for the Protection of Wild Rabbits told the local Vårt Kungsholmen newspaper.
Despite the overabundance of rabbits in the city’s parks, there still aren’t quite enough of them to be a reliable source of biofuel – Stockholm has to augment the supply with dead cats, cows, deer and horses.
And, in fact, their reputation for rapid procreation notwithstanding, as many as 30 species of rabbits around the world are at serious risk of extinction.
Johannesson and other wildlife campaigners recommend tactics like spraying park plants with a chemical that makes them unappetizing to the furry creatures, but rabbit hunter Tommy Tuvunger disagrees.
"If you do that you only move the problem 100 meters away."
 WorldShares
lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20
points now.Learn More Earn Points
|
CLOSE
link:
link:
Comments
steve
11/16/2009 08:40 AM
thats the stupidest thing ive ever heard
Killemnwearem
11/15/2009 16:31 PM
Nice rabbit fur coat, anyone?
saabir
11/13/2009 17:22 PM
I remember reading about the kangaroo problem Australia had. Their solution was to eat them. Supposedly there's a markey for it. I seem no difference in Swedens problem. Death will obviously still occur, but a hunger crisis, if one exists, can be addressed and attended to. I wonder what there air pollution is like after burning carcasses for fuel.
ERIKA
10/23/2009 15:45 PM
I never had much respect for the swedes, but then i am of Norwegian descent...i think we should declare open season on these vacuous round headed blond swedish menaces to earth's creatures...Kill a swede, save the planet.
Jo Mama
12/09/2010 14:09 PM
The only way to save the world is to exterminate all the Progressives and Liberals.
Every program proposed by the left is nothing but a pipe dream and a 'feel good' nproject with no valididity behind it.
Jp
10/23/2009 15:24 PM
Throw another Rabbit on the fire
angelo
10/20/2009 11:01 AM
it's horrible to make a horror movie by it
Guest
10/15/2009 18:14 PM
I agree with Gorax- seems like a waste of food if you ask me.
