Racecourse rabbiting

With the crafty coney damaging turf and crops, a change of tactics is needed to keep reducing the local population over the warmer months

- MILES MALONE

The point-to-point course cut through the Suffolk countryside as a majestic swathe of green, the white railings and brush jumps marking the course. But I was not here to experience thundering hooves upon turf, I was on patrol for that great survivor: the humble rabbit.

The light, sandy soils of the area lend themselves to easy burrowing and dry warrens, so it is unsurprising that rabbits have made their homes here. Unfortunately, the turf of the racecourse is particularly tempting, and at any time many rabbits can be seen grazing choice young shoots. With this comes the scratching out of scrapes and burrowing, which undermines the course.

Without control, this damage to the manicured surface could lead to a poor footing for the horses, with potential catastrophe for both animal and rider. The high numbers are also causing extensive arable damage, so a campaign was commenced over the winter to reduce their numbers while also providing a ready source of meat.

Rabbits perhaps provide the greatest survival story of the British countryside. Their resilience in the face of pestilence and predation is remarkable. Not a truly native species, they were first introduced by the Romans, somewhat unsuccessfully. A further introduction by the Normans in the 12th century resulted in the species gaining a solid foothold that, despite huge fluctuations in numbers over time, remains in place today. Escaping the man-made warrens that formed their initial homes in Norman Britain, they soon adapted, overcoming great odds to colonise much of the mainland.