Valdez, Alaska has an infestation that causes everyone to drive slowly, grass to be nibbled and every inch to be hopped on. That’s right, a huge number of wild bunnies inhabits the town. They are prolific, controversial, and prone to napping under cars in the shade. Check out Valdez, the bunny capital of Alaska.
Valdez is a small town that lies on the shore of the Prince William Sound and is tucked into the base of Chugach Mountains. The snow piles high in the winter and the harbor rules the town's industry year-round.
The harbor is right downtown and the restaurants, hotels and attractions all orbit around the ocean and the boats. This is where you will find the bunnies, in the heart of Valdez and all through the residential streets of town.
One is that a farm had rabbits for meat or fur before Valdez grew to its present size. Some think a pet owner released their pair of rabbits and they grew fruitful and multiplied to the present brood. And some even postulate that in the 1980's, some person or group of people released rabbits in several waves to be a cute attraction for the tourists. No one will ever really know how the bunnies got there, but there they are serious numbers. It's pretty hard to estimate as the rabbit population is constantly in flux, but certainly hundreds are hopping around this small area.
Opponents of the bunnies say they eat flowers and landscaped plants, constantly block the flow of traffic, and can be a nuisance. When you have food in your hand or come home with groceries, they reportedly gang up and chase people into their homes, begging for food. The controversial practice of feeding the bunnies in the winter has divided the town. Many do feed them to help them get through the cold, snowy winters. Others think the practice should be banned and are pushing to have the bunnies designated as "deleterious exotic wildlife." The debate rages in the small town where local government has an easy going attitude about the bunnies.
So visit Valdez and lounge in the sun with the bunnies. They are a part of life here in this fascinating small town in Alaska.
