Activists oppose rabbits as heating fuel

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Animal rights activists in Stockholm, Sweden, say thousands of rabbits killed to thin their ranks in area parks should not be used for heating fuel.

Anna Johannesson of the Society for the Protection of Wild Rabbits is among those opposing using rabbit carcasses as bioenergy fuel at a heating plant in the central Sweden province, The Local reported Monday.

"Those who support the culling of rabbits surely think it's good to use the bodies for a good cause. But it feels like they're trying to turn the animals into an industry rather than look at the main problem," Johannesson said.

The rabbits burned at the Varmland heating plant are killed to protect trees and shrubs in Stockholm's parks.

Tommy Tuvunger of the Stockholm Traffic Office told The Local many of the targeted rabbits were once household pets released into the wild by their owners.

"People who think that the bunnies are cute and cuddly suddenly don't think they're as fun anymore and put the animals outside. They think: 'there they can play with the other rabbits,'" Tuvunger said.