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Subscribe to RSSUnfortunately for the security at Denver International Airport, furry troublemakers are invading their large parking lot.
Officials with the U.S. Agriculture Department's Wildlife Services in the Denver area claim that rabbits are chewing wires under the hoods of cars, according to the Los Angeles Times. The animals are causing hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in damage.
Although officials have been removing 100 rabbits from the area every month, the damage continues. The persistent presence of rabbits can be attributed to the fact that the airport is surrounded by a prairie and the rabbits look to the vehicles for warmth and food.
"They come to the recently driven cars for warmth, and once they're there, they find that many of the materials used for coating ignition cables are soy-based, and the rabbits find that quite tasty," Wiley Faris, a spokesman for the nearby Arapahoe Autotek repair center, said.
Nearby apartment buildings have also been complaining about the animals. "A lot of people have called us," Faris said. "They return to their cars and either they won't start or they don't run well because the wires are all chewed up."
The perpetrators were identified by the fur and pellets they left behind.
The damage the rabbits cause can be very serious due to repair costs that can run into the thousands and are often not covered by insurance. Airport officials also say parking permits specify that they are not responsible for damages, putting the burden on the driver.
"I see at least dozens every morning. They go hide under the cars, and the cars are warm," airport shuttle driver Michelle Anderson told CBS Denver.
Although the rabbits have caused problems, officials have only received a handful of complaints according to Laura Coale, a spokeswoman for the airport.
"We have 53 square miles of land," she said. "We had 4.3 million parking transactions in 2012, and we only received three claims. People are not coming to us. They go to the newspaper and say their damage happened here. Why here, versus any other place in Colorado?"
Officials are exploring ways to help solve the problem, including fencing, perches for hawks and eagles, and even coating wires with coyote urine.
"Predator urine is a good deterrent," Faris said. "Either coyotes or foxes. And you can pick it up at any professional hunting shop. That stuff can take care of the critter damage pretty quick."
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Not an advertisement: but rabbits are fond of "pin cherry" logs for the bark (Prunus pensylvanica), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_pensylvanica)
Put one of these branches in a hutch and you'll wonder what happended by the next morning.
Now if you park your car near rabbits, put a bunch of carrots and a few "pin cherry" logs to block the tires(?) and the rabbits might leave the car alone.
Now tell me how in the hell that's going to help my car when I pak at D.I.A. Quit trolling you turd!
Darn, I read "Bunnies" in the headline and my mind immediately wandered back to my adolescence. Alas, the news story was something entirely different. "I HATE when THAT happens!"
;-)
Anybody think to call Elmer Fudd? He'll get all of those wascally wabbits!
Bob thought about bunnies and guns and had an instant bone.
LOL, maybe it's because Easter is coming so early this year.
:-)
Maybe they just took a wrong turn in Albuquerque along with Bugs Bunny.
Attack of the killer Rabbits. coming to a theater near you.
How about a couple of thousand have-a-heart traps and relocate the little buggers? or maybe Rabbit stew for the poor, either way is fine with me.
Hey commonsense, LOL, but I always thought he said "wascawy wabbit", while he was hunting for "wittle gway wabbits". Right or wrong, some of the funniest cartoons I ever watched, and I didn't turn into a mass murderer. 'nuff said.
Maybe it's the fact they read your sign that said you won't do a damn thing for them. Maybe they figure a public shaming might motivate you to be proactive on the issue.
I like the idea of the eagles and the hawks. That way when they aren't chasing rabbits they can play dodge'em with the jets. Maybe bring down a couple of them when they FOD out the engines. I can see it now "Rabbit problem brings down 747; 159 dead"
A horde of cats would help with this problem. They would keep the rabbits out of the area. And the worst the cats would do to a car is maybe get caught in the fan belts but they usually get slung free with little damage, if any, to the car.
I think this article could use some photos of the offenders. I mean, are they cute, stringy, big, small, gray/black/brown/white furred, long fur or short fur?
FYI, the Aztecs had a pantheon of 400 rabbit gods, and the ancient Chinese and Japanese used to believe they're from the moon. hehe.
There is a record infestation of rabbits all over suburban Denver, and prairie dogs too, and the problem is not just confined to the airport parking lots. Plus we have had a drought going-on since 18 months ago that has seen numerous wild animals seeking food and water in urban neighborhoods too. My guess is that both the rabbits and the prairie dogs are becoming almost domesticated, as both are perfectly fine living very close to humans. For instance, there are rabbit burrows under my own back deck and several more in an adjacent vacant lot too. While my wife and I garage both of our cars, our youngest son's car is parked outside every night within 50 feet of a rabbit burrow too, and so far it hasn't been damaged that we know of.
If you park at one of the larger satellite parking lots at DIA I might not park close to the edge of the pavement which might help lessen your car's exposure to rabbit damage some. Another thing that you might do would be to buy a car cover that comes down to the pavement. My guess is that the parking garages are pretty safe from rabbit damage but they do cost more too. In fact, I might almost wonder if this story isn't some kind of a plant trying to get more customers to park in the DIA garages to avoid rabbit damage too?
Humans are also predators...And it works the same way.
It's a sign of the end times! God is coming soon!
Dangit Darren! Beat me to it!
Ok, the bunnies are a sign of a pending alien invasion. Asteroids... heavy snows... bunnies... yep, there ya go!
These omnivorious bunnies are the result of man-made global warming. The end is near! Run for your lives!
This story reads like something from The Onion. Three complaints and this story goes national? Slow news day? And who knew that the coatings on the wiring in your car is edible? A survival tip?
They need to build a fence around the airport. Isn't this the second time this has happened? What was learned from the first time? Oh, I know! You people forgot!
It's still the first time. They just needed a story today.
LOL! Trying to keep rabbits out using a fence is like trying to keep birds out using a fence--doesn't work. A little common sense goes a lot farther. For instance, a simple, inexpensive coyote decoy will keep geese and rabbits both out of your yard. So will a squirt of "predator" urine. And most of us Colorado natives know that it's best to let your engine compartment be a bit dirty because critters won't chew on nasty wires.
Odds are that rabbits are already inside the fence. Rabbits reproduce like... well.. rabbits. LOL. The way to deal with them is to kill them. They are a varmint like mice or rats.
Dude... Rabbits burrow.. .They dig. Put up a fence and they will just dig under it to get where they want to go.
Perhaps we need a ban on rabbits...
Or, make a law: "rabbits shall not chew car wiring." That will stop them.
Or film another Harry Potter movie there, this time devote it entirely to owls. Hire a few hundred of them as the cast and watch your problem go away quickly.
Let's go hunting!!! Rabbit is very tasty and makes great gravy when fried like chicken. I am a member of PETA ( People Eating Tasty Animals ). Elmer Fudd to the rescue.
They will just climb over like the illegals do.
A horde of cats would help with this problem. They would keep the rabbits out of the area. And the worst the cats would do to a car is maybe get caught in the fan belts but they usually get slung free with little damage, if any, to the car.
I actually thought that was a good idea too Chris until I thought about it a little more, wouldn't the problem then become the owls (hawks/eagles per the article) start getting caught in the airplane engines?
I think I'd rather my car didn't start then have my plane crash.
hahahaha, inocent.. ! the can made a hole under the fence, you kno that ?
Build a gigantic upside down hat in the parking lot. Hire a few dozen magicians to stand around a platform at the top and pull rabbits out of it 24/7.
Believe me, as an avid gardener, I have had plenty of rabbits that would nibble off my Swiss Chard down to the roots. Once I put a couple of rugs in the middle of the garden that the dogs had laid on in the house, the rabbit problem was no more. I have used this method for about 25 years and it works. Something simple.
A .22 solves the problem of rabbits PLUS you can make some Hasenpfeffer!
Slodon,
I find the same to be true for obnoxious intolerant humans...better watch yer head...
Ybluepanda, Go figure, the first on this string to break the law by making a threat to a HUMAN.
Actually slodon: I was thinking more in the realm of stir fry over wild rice.............. Instead, they'll probably poison them . And Ybluepanda will be happy the meat hit a dumpster , instead of being used to feed someone.
Another peace lover with a gun threat.
He didn't threaten anyone...he just observed obnoxious intolerant humans can be solved by the same method ...and seeing as he might be one, he should watch his head
You can infer a threat but he didn't actually make one
"I find the same to be true for obnoxious intolerant humans...better watch yer head.."
toldin: What part of "I " did you not understand?? In your scenario , perhaps it should read.....
I have seen historically, that the same might be true for intolerant humans...better watch yer head.."
Perhaps when one threatens, they should have at least the guts, to stand by their words. Now, your redefining his words????
While you may be too stupid to infer a threat, he did explicitly say, "Better watch yer head."
It carries the same weight as a man with a gun asking for your wallet in an alley at 3am.
Wonder if these"bunnies" are actually jackrabbits. Jackrabbits aren't even good eating. And PETA folk, clubbing them over the head is actually one of the most effective ways to get their population under control.
Just how do you get close enough to a wild rabbit to club it? I have found head shot with a .22 works the best.
Stir fry over rice works well for me too,scar. I wonder why they don't sell rabbit in the super markets any more. Used to buy rabbit 2 or 3 times a month about 50 years ago.
I just love all the comments about shooting those poor wittle wabbits.
"A country boy can survive"!
Is that to knock some sense into them?
Couldn't help it.
Used to have a wild jackrabbit as a pet years ago, and they will nibble on anything, nailed down or not. Sounds like an exploding population when they start to infest areas where you find large numbers of people, like airports. If you want to control the population and put food on people's dinner plates, then hunting is the way to go. If you want to just drive them back into the wild, then plant radishes around the vegetation at the airport and dust the radishes with cayenne pepper. The rabbits will be looking for the Tums and Prilosec on their way out the door.
Use to have a pet rabbit that ran free in the house. He use to chew every electric cord around . Amusing in a way to see his body jerk from being shocked. Ruined the main cord tothe refrigerater once. Loved that racal though great pet !
I'm starting to think I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like rabbit, I could never acquire a taste for it.
Such meanness to rabbits. They have a right to live too.
Hunting in an airport parking lot? That wouldn't cause any damage to cars or fatalities to humans.
I think it would be more natural and humane to frighten them away from the parking lot. Feral cats (that have been spayed/neutered) would do an excellent job of keeping rabbits out.
May be a mercenaries whit ak-47 take care of the bunnies...they looking for jobs, many go to Syria
Gotta be th' first to say it! WHAT'S UP, DOC !!! <<< <<< <<< ~~~~~~ >>> >>> >>> lIVE LONG AND PROSPER !!!
Doubt I'll be spraying Coyote piss all over my car just to park it anywhere. Not saying it won't work, but COME ON MAN!
I agree with Chrisin! I personally, think locating lots of predatory birds around an airport that are likely to get sucked into a jet engine is a bad idea. Relocating foxes and wolves to the area, is quite silly, too. Once the bunnies are gone, the other predators remain. Then the only 'food' will be pets and human animals.
What in the Hell does this have to do with Dogs and poop??
Kill da wabbits, kill da wabbits, kill da wabbits...
Almost all my knowledge of classical music stems from bugs bunny cartoons.
That one is a Classic!
let loose the hounds
Beg your pardon, but it's 'Release the hounds.'
Carry on.
gawd I wood love to work for the vine... what a riot.
If you're trying to change the subject then just why not say so.. ffs
Shhhhh, be va wee, va wee, quiet.... I'm hunt'n wabbits...
Beg your pardon, but it's Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm huntin wabbits.
Carry on.
You can't tell me that replacincing your battery cables, cause they are chewed up, run in the thousands, total BS.
Do you REALLY THINK that battery cables are the ONLY wiring on cars? If that were the case, you could be correct. However, cars today have a LOAD of wiring in them!!! Try going to the parts store and ordering a new wire for your car. You will be laughed out the front door!
And what else is BS is that the damage is covered under the Comprehensive portion of and Physical Damage part of a Auto policy. The writer on this story got a snowjob.
This rabbit problem is the result of killing off natural predators like wolves, coyotes, and birds of prey.
Not battery cables, wiring harnesses. Two or three hundred at least, plus labor. Could easily reach a grand.
Cost me about $800. plus cost of a rental car to replace wire parts in my Toyota
Rav4 '08 after mice had a field day under the hood. They even built a nest.
The work was done at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle.
Depending on which wires they chew it can be expensive. A lot of wires can be replaced easily. With the computers in new cars a lot of them have a can/bus wiring system for the computer. You can't just replace the wires on that with wires you'd get from Napa or Autozone, you most of the time have to replace the whole wiring harness.
The article said ignition cables not battery cables.
Uhmmmm, dogs?? Birds of prey really?? Doesn't anyone who works in the parking area own dogs?? Something small like a beagle? Something that could zoom thru cars? If coyote urine would work, wouldn't dog urine. I know my dogs love chasing hares. They've never caught won, but they got a work out
Sure, then we have to bring in Elephants to chase all the dogs out...
If you turn beagles loose in a parking lot full of rabbits, it could get pretty bloody. PETA and the SPCA would be right there on your tail.
Yeah, let's turn dogs loose into the coming and going traffic of a parking lot.
Sheesh. (Eye roll)
Rabbits make very good eating when cooked properly. You could give them to the people on food stamps to cut down on taxes.
good one. bama or wes verginie/
Buy a cat
I might be wrong but isn't there a problem with birds getting sucked into plane engines and causing engine failure, now they want to put in perches for eagles and hawks. OK
mus be a slow newsday in detroier, coleradeo
Place cardboard cut-outs of Elmer Fudd (with shotgun) on each parking row, then randomly play "I'll get you, you silly wabbit!" on the flight announcement speakers.
These "Bunnies" are probably Jack Rabits. The first time I saw them was while I was riding dirt bikes in Colorado. I remember thinking "Those are some weird looking Deer, so I took off for a closer look. These things are huge and I am told not good to eat, being very stringy and tough. I bet from toe to nose, is 3-4 feet long.
Not necessarily. I live in Colorado and there are plenty of wild bunnies here. I see a lot more bunnies than jackrabbits.
No, GetReal is correct. These are cottontail rabbits, probably the mountain cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii) not jack rabbits (Lepus californicus- these can get up to 2 feet long and weigh 3-6 pounds and long, prominent ears). They're cute, little furry creatures with small ears. We had the same problem in Cheyenne, WY, bunnies everywhere, but I never knew them to chew our cars' engine wiring.
They should release the pythons caught in Florida at the Denver airport. That'll sove the problem.
Then there would be a stupid sequal to snakes on a plane
A ridiculous notion. Pythons are tropical snakes and cannot survive the freezing temperatures in Colorado.
wrong, the pytons if the cautgh a rabit after eat them, take a breack for tho months, meanwile the rabbit reproduce themselfs ten times faster, is not solution, is better coyotes and hacks, better hunters and eat constantly...
This sounds like that awful horror movie from the 1960s.
Assault rabbits.
happened to me in the Midwest with chipmunks. what you do is just spice the wires back together and GO, didn't cost me thousands of dollars. that one was funny. unless somebody is going to rip you off as usual.