Two young bunny detectives make it their mission to support Calgary's feral rabbit population

Two young girls in Calgary have made it their mission to learn more about Calgary's feral rabbitpopulation and they quickly turned it into a hobby amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The girls' motherCarmen Wittmeiersays the activity has become one of the few outings they can do this year and that it's been a"peaceful" way to spend the afternoon.

"I gradually began to see how much the community loves these rabbits," she said.

"There's people that are building houses for them and that come in regularly to feed them."

It started as a photography project for her daughters, Danica and Lauren, last summer, but has now turned into an all-season activity.

However, she says one thing that she and her daughters have noticed the past few months is the bunny population declining during the colder months.

"Entire types of rabbits have disappeared and other rabbits have taken over so genetically, it was an interesting experiment to just watch the population develop and certain breeds are clearly hardier than others."

Her daughterDanicaGodwaldt, 12,says she's learned a lot from watching the rabbits.

"The -40 C decreased the population by a lot. It was like you barely see them around anymore," she said.

"Now it's a little warmer, so we're seeing babies out."

The girls saythey have also learned how much of a problem it is for people to release their pet rabbits with the expectation that they will be able to survive.

"We really need to help them, because they keep reproducing and reproducing so quickly. So we need to find adoption homes or spay and neuter," said Lauren Godwaldt, who is eight.