Senior Citizens Decry Poisoning of Rabbits : Wildlife: Leisure World property management firm defends practice, saying the creatures are destructive to landscaping.

LAGUNA HILLS — About 50 senior citizens protested Wednesday against a property management company’s practice of poisoning wild rabbits at Leisure World, which company officials say is necessary to prevent the destruction of flowers and plants.

Joined by representatives of two Orange County animal rights groups, the protesters lined a sidewalk in front of the offices of Leisure World Real Estate and held large signs that condemned the method of killing the rabbits.

“They’ve been disappearing slowly but surely,” said Belle Price, a New York native who retired to Leisure World five years ago. “I moved here from Cement City, and when I saw my first bunny, I thought it was great. Something has to be done. We’re all in this together.”

California cottontail rabbits are being blamed by the landscaping company for costly damage to ornamental landscaping in the state’s largest retirement community.

But some residents contend that the severity of the problem doesn’t square with a scenario given by Professional Community Management Inc., the firm that provides landscape maintenance for Leisure World.

Some residents also fear that other wildlife, such as hawks, owls, possums and coyotes--as well as dogs and cats--could suffer from contact with poison-laced rabbit carcasses or feces.

Residents said rodent poison has been used on the rabbits.

Scott Weldy, a Lake Forest veterinarian, said that the poison, diphacinone, causes internal bleeding and takes a few days to kill a rabbit. If ingested by dogs or cats, such poison could be harmful or fatal, he said.

“Hopefully, it is being applied in a selective manner,” Weldy said.

Jerry Rathje, Professional Community Management Inc.’s landscape and pest control supervisor, said that the rabbits cause $25,000 to $50,000 worth of landscape damage annually in the 750-acre community.

Without any population control, the damage costs would be higher, he said.

Rathje said that as of Wednesday, 22 feeding stations containing barley treated with diphacinone were in flower beds or against buildings where residents had complained about rabbits.

Rathje could not provide an estimate of the number of rabbits killed, but he said that poison has been used “on and off for as long as anyone can remember.”

About 90% of the baiting was in response to resident requests, Rathje said.

Eva Park, founder of Orange County People for Animals, said that the management company could legally poison wild rabbits but that the approach would ultimately damage the ecosystem.

“We live in a natural world. We can’t expect to live in a sterilized bubble,” Park said. “They can do anything they want unless there is enough outcry.”

But Rathje said that natural predators cannot keep the rabbit population in check.

“It doesn’t work here because it’s not a natural setting; it’s a man-made setting,” Rathje said.

Protesters said that other solutions should be sought, such as altering some of the landscaping or screening certain plants.

Leisure World resident Nancy Zeiger said that about 300 residents so far have signed a petition in favor of leaving the rabbits alone.

“We will never know the number of rabbits killed,” she said.

Zeiger said that half a dozen rabbits used to hop around her street but that their number has fallen to two.

Babs Escareno, a member of the Canine Club of Leisure World, said that she has heard of instances in which dogs or cats died of mysterious causes, but none of the deaths was linked to rabbit poisoning.

Still, she said, she is concerned.

“Everyone I know is concerned about this,” Escareno said. “But (management company representatives) say, ‘Oh, you’re just a bunch of goofy animal activists,’ so it’s extremely discouraging.”

Price, who wore pink rabbit ears at the protest, said that she would be keeping a tight leash on her two Yorkshire terriers, one of which has appeared in advertisements in Gentleman’s Quarterly magazine.

“What are they going to do next?” Price said. “Kill birds?”

* RETIREMENT COMMUNITY SUED

Lawsuit alleges age discrimination by Leisure World in Seal Beach. B12