Rabbit Killings Reflect Man’s Selfish Nature

Re “To Shoo, or Shoot, Dogged Rabbits?,” Jan. 6:

We live in a time when the current cultural and political dogma is that we are returning to a more ethical and moral society. To shoot rabbits or, worse, poison them -- which takes two or three agonizing days before death -- because they are eating your flowers symbolizes on a small scale what indeed we are becoming. That is more selfish, self-centered and disconnected with nature and each other.

We also have wild rabbits that eat our vegetation. They like to play a game in which one of them charges into a group of rabbits, which jump, allowing the charger to pass underneath. We get much more enjoyment out of watching the rabbits than we do our begonias, and we understood when we moved in that the rabbits had lived there first. We also found this year a beautiful barn owl dead in our bushes. Most likely a result of eating a poisoned rabbit or squirrel courtesy of one particular neighbor.

Those who can’t tolerate wildlife should move to Stanton and leave the hills for those of us who enjoy and respect nature.

Jeff Hansen

Yorba Linda

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As a fellow South County homeowner, I too have had cottontails devour flowers in my yard. But unlike many of these residents, I learned to live with them and even grew to enjoy their presence. Watching as many as nine at a time in my backyard playing and chasing each other while others stretched out and lounged became a rewarding pastime. The thought that some of these residents would poison them is a sad statement of how self-absorbed and inhumane people can be.

Chris Hansen

Aliso Viejo