University botanists battle bunnies daily
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By Paavo Tukkimäki
"We battle the rabbits head-on, on a daily basis," says Marko Pesu, chief gardener of the University of Helsinki botanical gardens.
Of course this is only a metaphor, since closing in on the agile adversary is rather challenging.
Finnish hares put up more of a fair fight according to Pesu; the hare may even be curious enough to come close to a woodsman. Rabbits, on the other hand, run and hide the instant they catch sight of people.
Pesu says that rabbits are a constant source of grey hairs for gardeners.
For one, rabbits are famously efficient in reproduction.
Another reason is the rabbits' tendency to burrow, which their Finnish hare colleagues lack.
"Rabbits dig up our newly planted seedlings. The earth we work on during the day is dug up the following night. And of course the rabbits have to eat as well. Young saplings are in danger and must be well protected."
The university gardens use a weed prevention technique that is very beneficial for the rabbits.
There is a plastic cover on the ground, upon which is a top layer of bark and chippings. The rabbits have learned to dig their tunnels underneath this "roof". When fallen leaves and snow cover this layer, the rabbits have very cosy winter burrows, Pesu says.
It is difficult to exterminate rabbits. "Being in the middle of Helsinki, our options are limited. It would cause a certain amount of discontent if we started blasting away with shotguns," the chief gardener believes.
He reminds us that the rabbit has been artificially introduced to our ecosystem, and its numbers must be contained according to law. However, he does not wish to take overly drastic measures, such as using dogs to hunt the rabbits.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 3.11.2005
More on this subject:
 Wild rabbits came to the heart of Helsinki
PAAVO TUKKIMÄKI / Helsingin Sanomat
paavo.tukkimaki@hs.fi
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