Swedes are many things and on that list you’ll find are pragmatic and hunters. So there’s not too much hoopla kicked up in Sweden over the unconventional practice of culling nuisance rabbits in downtown Stockholm and making good use of them in Karlskoga.
There will always be bunny-hugging (in the case literal) animal activists who would rather find an alternative to picking off the rabbits by sharp shooters hired by Stockholm City. As a form of animal control they have some of my sympathy and partial support (if they can make it a practical reality rather than a nice rhetorical debate I’m all ears.) But once you have the carcasses of thousands of bunnies you have a practical pr0blem to solve.
The Local reported on the solution Stockholm City employs (article). In essence the bunnies are converted into heat. Not in the form of rabbit stew and fur coats, but fodder for the fire. An incinerator in Karlskoga converts the carcasses to calories for keeping residents comfy on the couch.
The topic is apparently fueling interest around the world. The BBC just published a piece interviewing The Local’s very own James Savage, Managing Editor to comment on Sweden’s take on the burning of bunnies. The international community just love the contradiction of the lovable, cuddly bunny and feeding the flames of domestic heating.
But returning to that short list of Swedish attributes: pragmatic and hunters. I think most Swedes are just fine with the idea. I am not a hunter, but having been fortunate enough to enjoy the sumptuous goodness and butter texture of wild deer and moose thanks to the generosity of hunting friends I can’t get too misty-eyed over a cull.
Weeeee're hunting waaabbit
After all, the bunnies lived happy lives until it was time to turn up the heat.
First of all the bunnies are domesticated and wont survive our harsh winter like the donestic hare. They would slowly starve or freeze to death. The stupid city folks that release the rabbits must know full well what will happen to them.
Right now its hunting season for hare and us swedes are busy hunting and picking mushrooms and catching trout.
Instead of incinerating the bunnies I suggest that we eat them instead. I think the municipalities should sell them to restaurants instead. In France and Germany eating rabbits is very common. I have eaten rabbit both in France and Germany and it tastes fantastic.
Here is a whole site of recipies for cooking your bunny!
http://www.lapin.fr/
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you cannot burn meat for energy, please look my comment on the Mainpage article on bunny burning up, i explained there why, the bunnies are merly cremated in the power plant, which uses up energy, but its better to having them lying around dead all winter.
please edit your Blogpost
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@Thuth. I’ll quote the BBC article
“Leo Virta, the Managing Director of Konvex – the plant’s suppliers – told the BBC that Konvex has developed a new way of processing animal waste with funding from the EU as part of the Biomal project.
He says that with this new method, raw animal material is crushed, ground and then pumped to a boiler where it is burned together with wood chips, peat or waste to produce renewable heat.
“It is a good system as it solves the problem of dealing with animal waste and it provides heat,” said Mr Virta. ”
I’ll edit my blog post when you can demonstrate that Konvex and Mr. Virta are wasting EU money. Then we have a pretty juicy investigative piece instead.
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There are a lot of things in Stockholm that I would like to burn to make heat.
And people fail to recognise what filthy, vicious little creatures these bunnies really are. How many people have really ever observed the little degenerates in the bushes alongside the road?
Take a stroll along Ringvägen at sunset. It will be an educational experience, I assure you.
Vermin.
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Gustav, get a grip. Your comment is both inaccurate as well as stupid and cruel.
I side with the rabbits. Killing vegan creatures like rabbits, moose and deer must make cowardly hunters feel important. If any of you have a hunting accident I promise I won’t get misty-eyed either. May karma reach all of your doors.
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OK, Compassion, be that way, but don’t come running to me when you are savaged by a barbaric horde of these little brutes.
The way they are breeding, it is only a matter of time.
I’ve seen them lurking at the corners, and cafés. Their little white pelts glistening in the pale Stockholm sun.
Lock your doors at night. That’s all I’m saying.
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Following with the insanity of hunting rabbits to generate heat, you could consider also to start hunting people at Sweden streets to provide more bodies to feed Konvex (Karlskoga) power plant.
As people support cruel and coward acts against innocent animals, probably people will understand to extend the same practices against the most cruel of beings, the human race.
Poor mad population which allows cruel people to satisfy its bad instincts and get bad karma to all people involved.
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@Compassion. Your comment made me wonder about whether or not an animal could be a vegan and I decided that it can’t. Animals are herbivores, carnivores or omnivores, but being a vegan or a vegetarian or a meat eater is all by active choice. An animal doesn’t choose its diet. It just eats it diet.
@Jose. The motive to cull the rabbits isn’t to generate heat but to control a population which is problematic. What would you recommend as an alternative to control the rabbit population (which isn’t a natural population)?
@Gus. Be nice. Bunnies are cute and they’re nice even if it’s their irresponsible owners (or owners of their ancestors) who created the problem.
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http://lauriekendrick.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/easter10.jpg
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Here is perhaps a more eco-friendly, nature based solution to the problem of excessive bunny infestation. At sun-down, open the gates here:
http://www.skansen.se/pages/?ID=66
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I really love reading articles that has lots of knowledge to impart. I admire those writers who share the best of their knowledge in writing such articles. Keep up the good work and continue inspiring readers.Thank you so much.
Best regards,
Gold Coins
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I was wondering what is the problem of the rabbits in the first place? Is it really that they are too domesticated to survive? If so, wouldn’t they just die of cold and not need to be killed?
And by all definitions that we use to cull other species when they “get out of hand”, we humans would be ruthlessly exterminated for doing the same if we weren’t the top of the intelligence-chain… hopefully a more advanced civilization won’t discover Earth, because if they’re anything like us, we’ll be in for a scary end. But then again, I think any civilization more intelligent than us won’t be as barbaric as we are.
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Dear Boston Blatte,
I would like to help you find the best solution to control the rabbits population. Unfortunately, I think that in our called “civilized and educated” population we have worst problems to deal with, as the foster kids that are sexually abused in Sweden. So, I think we need start trying to protect the innocent children from the human beasts, the true animals to be culled and burnt. Our “society” is very ill and need to be free from these true pests.
Insane and mad people are behind all these problems and they are the first cause for both bad results. It is not fault of domesticated rabbits if their owners abandoned them and, too, the selvage rabbits are not responsible for the destruction of the natural environment where they lived before went to urban parks.
I suggest you to accept and love these animals, mostly the children, allowing them to live free and, also, make grow more edible organic plants at parks and free areas, as it will be useful for people, children and rabbits.
We need to humanize our cities and our relations with all animals, including the defenseless children. To abuse of innocent children, to cull and burnt rabbits or to poison plants are not acceptable and civilized practices.
We need to change our minds for better practices and, together, to find the best solutions for the problems our ill “civilization” have created.
Look to the many problems irresponsible people brings to all beings and the dangers they impose for us to live well in this before balanced earth, as global warming, pollution, bad waste disposal, deforestation and destruction of natural environment. We must try to restore the earth balance, not contribute to destroy what must be preserved. We need to restore the nature we destroyed and the children, rabbits and we will live happy.
These aggressions against children and rabbits reveal the most ugly face of human race and are these diseases that needs to be treated.
If this “civilization” continues to attack and not respect their own children and rabbits, mascots that bring happy and good luck, we will collect bad luck and a very bad karma to our “civilization”, very strong opponents to battle against, and it is not rational.
Count on me to help you to treat these diseases. Good luck for children and rabbits.
Best regards,
José
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It was rather interesting for me to read the article. Thanx for it. I like such topics and everything that is connected to them. I definitely want to read more on this site soon.
Natasha Karver
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