Helsinki’s wild rabbits munch holes in Olympic Stadium football nets

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When Finland played Belgium in a Euro 2008 qualifier at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium back in June 2007, a certain Eurasian eagle owl named “Bubi” nearly stole the show.
      Before this Wednesday’s international against Germany, however, another form of wildlife, namely Helsinki’s wild rabbits - Bubi’s favourite snack, by the way - had in their turn hatched a devious plan to grab the headlines.
      During the summer the rabbits have methodically eaten away at the nets from the Stadium’s football goals, which were stored away behind the F stand.
      Operations manager Matti Partanen was taken by surprise when he discovered the signs of destruction towards the end of last week. “There are man-sized holes in the nets.”
     
The nets of the Olympic Stadium goals have been manufactured from nylon string four millimetres thick. “To think that they would eat something like that”, Partanen says in open wonderment. “Chewing on the string either sharpens or blunts one’s teeth, but surely eating nylon gives even a rabbit an upset stomach.”
      The criteria set for football goal nets in official internationals are so strict that the Olympic Stadium staff were unable to find suitable replacement nets in Finland.
      New nets had to be ordered as express air freight from Stockholm. The nets were installed on Monday before the Finnish national side’s evening practice.
     
The Olympic Stadium surroundings are teeming with wild city rabbits.
      “They have consumed everything alive there, the roots of shrubs and the bottom branches of mountain pines”, Partanen describes.
      On the other hand, the rabbits - direct descendants of escaped or abandoned pet bunnies - have spared the Olympic Stadium grass.
      “The rabbits have not come inside the Stadium and onto the pitch, even though they would easily fit under the fence.”
      In the future the Stadium’s goals will be kept in a new place on an asphalt surface under the C stand.
      “In the storage area behind the F stand the rabbits have dug their nests under the metal containers and other equipment. The goals would not be safe there.”
      Perhaps Bubi could be persuaded to help out once again.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki to begin culling wild rabbit population (30.1.2008)
  Bubi wins Helsinki Resident of the Year accolade (18.12.2007)
  Wild rabbits came to the heart of Helsinki (8.11.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat