Rabbit population explodes on Denmark’s Endelave Island in 2024, residents grapple with increased presence
Bark from trees, shrubs, new spring sprouts, medicinal herbs, spring barley, and winter grains – these are all on the menu for the rabbits of Endelave, a small island in Denmark. These rabbits are far from picky eaters, and the residents of the island, known for its wild rabbits since the 1920s, are noticing their increased presence.
The year 2024 has proven to be a banner year for the rabbits, as their reproduction rates have exploded to levels many residents have never seen before. No one knows exactly how many rabbits there are this year, but the estimates are in the tens of thousands.
“They are so numerous that they are venturing into places they have not been before. They are coming into our gardens, which they usually do not. They are hungry, and there are many. It is massive this year,” says Lone Kau, the president of the Endelave Medicinal Herb Garden Association.
The fresh, green medicinal plants and spice herbs in the medicinal garden, the residents’ gardens, and the farmers’ fields provide a vast food source for the rabbits. The rabbit population has been increasing for several years, but typically a disease will spread among them, causing a natural decline in numbers.
One of the challenges faced by the island is the rabbits’ habit of burrowing. Kau has had to install a fence, half a meter deep into the ground, to keep the rabbits out of the medicinal garden, which houses hundreds of medicinal plants and spices.
Elsewhere on Endelave, farmer Ivan Møller Knudsen also grapples with the rabbit issue. “This year it’s really bad. They often eat the crops ten to twenty meters from the live fences and into the fields. I have a love-hate relationship with the rabbits. They pose a problem, but they are also an asset to the island,” he says.
Despite their challenges, the rabbits are recognized as a part of the island’s identity and future. In fact, Endelave is often referred to as the “rabbit island,” and during hunting season, the rabbits attract hunters when there are no other tourists, thus benefiting the island.
Endelave Medicinal Herb Garden received funding from the village fund in Horsens municipality and used it to build a fence to keep the rabbits from entering the garden and eating the medicinal herbs. The fence has proven effective in controlling the rabbit issue.
Still, Kau believes that rabbits are a part of the island. “I think we have to learn to live with the rabbits and plant things they do not like. It is a big fight, especially if you want to have a vegetable garden. It’s either fences or living with nature,” says Kau.
Some estimate that there are around 50,000 rabbits on the island. The population usually varies greatly from year to year, with anywhere from a few hundred to 15,000 rabbits. The wild rabbit migrated from Germany in 1920, and the populations in Denmark stem from this migration and from releases.
On Endelave, the rabbits were released, and there are several versions of the story of how they came to the island. Hunting of the rabbits is allowed from September 1 to January 31. The climate is milder on small islands, which may be one of the reasons why the rabbits thrive on Endelave. Wild rabbits have shorter ears and hind legs than hares.