"We noticed a big increase all over Piha, spreading up on land. I noticed it in the Beach Valley Rd project because that's my concern," she says.
Ms Carroll headed the Waitakere Ranges neighbourhood restoration campaign about five years ago, taking care of the environment around the area by pulling out weeds and planting grasses and native foliage. The project has become an example for other communities in the region.
But the rabbits threaten a lot of what they have planted as well as the greenery they helped to regenerate.
The furry pests used to go out only at night but they have become bolder, standing on the roads by day. "I go, 'Hey, stop, I want a photo'. They pose for you," she says.
Waitakere Ranges Local Board has made representations to Auckland Council but the council is "reluctant" to control the infestation. "Auckland Council has been made aware of the large population of rabbits inhabiting public and private land around Piha," says Mark Bowater, manager of local and sports parks, who says the council is investigating effective, safe options for control other than bait.
"Rabbits are a challenging animal pest to control in areas where domestic animals and people may wander freely."
Ms Carroll says an official from the council's biosecurity told them,"Rabbit control ... is generally undertaken only on sports fields or other areas where rabbits present ahazard to the integrity of the grounds."
But she describes that policy as atrocious. "That would be like having no control for possums. We all know what possums do. They double overnight. Rabbits quadruple overnight."
Mr Bowater adds the council would not be able to help residents withrabbit problems.
"If burrows are located on private land we aren't able to assist. However, we can recommend appropriate contractors for landowners to engage and are committed to working collaboratively with private landowners to reduce and eradicate this pest from the area," he says.
But Ms Carroll counters that the council would have to step in.
"They need to because if thecouncil controlled the rabbits on the public land, they wouldn't get to the private land," she says.
Ms Carroll believes the council and the community should work together.
"We do our work and the council has a role to play.
"The council's role includes pest control and/or eradication," she says. "Stuff the grounds. It's about our native flora and fauna!"
PESKY LITTLE RABBITS
The 2007-2012 Pest Animal Management Strategy of the old Auckland Regional Council estimated the average rabbit density for the whole region at five rabbits a hectare.
Rabbits can tolerate a wide range of climate conditions, which makes the long-term management of their population difficult to plan.
Although it is generally acknowledged that rabbits can cause considerable economic and physical damage, "a cost benefit analysis of the cost of rabbit control and the damage caused by rabbits has shown that rabbits are an economic problem only on some land types. Generally, the people who benefit most from rabbit control are those who are directly affected and therefore they should be the ones to pay for the cost of rabbit control", says the ARC strategy.
There is no mention of revised pest control strategies on the council website, but it is likely to be a matter that is passed to Local Boards.
Rabbit photo by Heidi Kannegieter
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