The Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat plans to decrease the hunting population of rabbits through high-pressure operations, sustained over time and with the direct participation of its own teams in the areas where a significant overabundance of these animals has been detected, according to a statement released this Thursday.
The new strategy takes as a reference a pilot project developed in Verdú (Lleida), within the population control plan for rabbits in areas with the highest density, such as the plain of Lleida. In this trial, 48 interventions have been carried out that have allowed the capture of 7,908 specimens in 17 days.
The director of the territorial services of the Department of Agriculture in Lleida has pointed out that the program has obtained "positive" results in the reduction of the rabbit population and has indicated that it has been proposed to agricultural organizations to extend this type of action with stable planning tailored to each territory.
These measures will be added to the system that has been applied until now, in which farmers report damage to crops through a computer application and, subsequently, the hunting teams of the administration intervene.
In the pilot experience, 7 hunters and farmers have collaborated, while the department has made available 3 'pick-up' vehicles, 1 drone, 18 specialist technicians in hunting control, and 1 drone pilot.