Sweden killing thousands of stray rabbits and turning them into biofuel

Thousands of rabbits living in parks in the centre of Stockholm, some wild and others abandoned companion animals, are being shot in an attempt to "protect trees and shrubbery" and then turned into bio-fuel to heat homes.

The bodies of the rabbits are taken to a heating plant, where along with cats, deer, horses and cows, they are burnt as fuel for heating. Last year 6,000 rabbits were killed in this way.

Vilda kaniners värn (‘Society for the Protection of Wild Rabbits’) said that Sweden’s animal control authorities aren’t interested in pursuing other options besides killing the rabbits. They said, "it feels like they’re trying to turn the animals into an industry rather than look at the main problem. We want to see them start looking at other solutions for the rabbits.”

The plant's supplier, Konvex is a subsidiary of Danish group Daka Biodiesel, which says on its Web site that it produces and markets biodiesel and bio fuel oil using animal fat extracted from "by-products from slaughterhouses and primary agriculture."

Sources: Spiegel Online and www.thelocal.se