Country Diary

With Britain’s rabbits declining significantly over the past 20 years, it is time that we recognised these animals for the valuable resource they are

- Patrick Laurie

The boom and bust of local rabbits has become depressingly routine. My childhood was spent shooting bunnies on the family farm and I found an endless supply of targets for my old BSA rimfire. A friend and I shot more than 100 in a single night and rabbits were a fact of life across extensive areas of Galloway.

To my eternal shame, I sometimes used to fling away rabbits I shot — there were often too many to handle and the local butchers were unable to match excessive supply with moderate demand. I was able to win over one friendly butcher who paid 50p each for my rabbits and he complimented me for my diligence when he found that I had even skinned their tails.

Since the late 1990s, rabbits have become scarce. Many of their warrens have grown over and been filled in by trampling sheep and cows. The survivors often breed furiously all summer and fill the world with their offspring, but this boom is countered by a depressing slump in early autumn. The fields are filled with them throughout June and July, but are reduced to one or two adults by November when my ferrets are ready to get stuck in.