Wing rounds up rabbits for safety

Marco Cabanello, Italian Wildlife Authority, detangles a rabbit during Aviano’s Rabbit Roundup March 22. Using noise makers, volunteers marched down the flightline in the hopes of corralling rabbits. After the rabbits were caught, the Italian Wildlife Authority released them back into the wild away from the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Colleen Wieman)

Wing rounds up rabbits for safety

Senior Airman Josh McFall, 31st Maintenance Squadron PMEL technician, tries to prevent a rabbit from escaping during the roundup. Airman McFall decided to participate in the rabbit round up because it was something out of the ordinary. “I thought it would be kind of lame, but it was actually a lot of fun,” he said. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Colleen Wieman)

Hare raising: Wing rounds up rabbits for safety

Published March 29, 2007
By Staff Sgt. Colleen Wieman
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Aviano Air Base, Italy -- A fierce line of people loudly marched toward them. One by one, frightened ears popped out of the grass and the chase began.

Rabbits darted left and right as more than 200 people banged lids, blew whistles and kazoos and shouted during the flightline Rabbit Roundup March 22.

A total of 46 rabbits - 27 males, 19 females and two babies - were chased into nets at the center of the flight line.

"[The Italian Wildlife Authority] came to move the rabbits to a safer environment and help us decrease the rabbits," said Capt. Chris Lehto, 31st Fighter Wing flight safety chief.
The Italian Wildlife Authority tagged the captured rabbits and took them to a better place in the mountains. The rabbits were tagged to monitor their migration in case they are caught on the flightline again next year.

Senior Airman Josh McFall, 31st Maintenance Squadron PMEL technician, chased several rabbits towards the net.

"I volunteered because it was something out of the ordinary and to get some fresh air," he said. "I thought it would be lame, but it's actually a lot of fun."

Volunteers weren't chasing scared rabbits just for fun, the rabbits needed to be corralled because they posed a safety threat.

"The rabbits pose a hazard to aircraft operations; we're worried about them getting ingested in the intake," Captain Lehto said.

The rabbits keep multiplying on the flightline, he added because the area is almost like a rabbit sanctuary.

"There are no natural predators," Captain Lehto said. "We keep out all the coyotes dogs and keep away most of the birds."

The Rabbit Roundup is held once a year. This year's was the most successful, beating the previous record of 27 rabbits caught.