Got Bench bunnies? Boise neighborhood has a rabbit overpopulation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Boise Bench faces over 40 years of rabbit overpopulation from released pets.
- Residents can use fencing and sprinklers to deter rabbits from damaging properties.
- The Idaho Humane Society helps adopt stray rabbits but lacks full rabbit capacity.
In the heart of the Boise Bench, Ryan O’Leary’s yard boasts a dense, thriving bed of sunset-colored coneflowers. If you compliment him on the garden, he’ll credit his fiance and the new knee-high fence surrounding the flowerbed — which stands just tall enough to keep rabbits out.
O’Leary isn’t alone in his bunny beef. Other Bench residents, social media users and the Idaho Humane Society have said that the neighborhood is overrun with rabbits. Affectionately dubbed “Bench bunnies,” the domestic breed rabbits have been feral in the area for over 40 years, IHS spokesperson Kristine Schellhaas told the Idaho Statesman.
“People have been talking about the rabbit situation for some time, and I think we’re just hearing about it more because we’re connected on social media,” Schellhaas said. “At some point in time, (pet) rabbits were released, and it’s created this situation.”
Schellhaas said rabbits breed rapidly. As the Bench neighborhood has continued to develop, natural rabbit predators, like coyotes, have likely dissipated, she said. With much of the Bench constrained by interstates and major roads, the problem has stayed localized.
“I’ve not heard of any rabbits exploding in population elsewhere (in the Treasure Valley),” Schellhaas said. “So I think, historically, that’s just where it started and it’s just proliferated throughout the Bench area.”
How rabbit overpopulation affects Boise Bench
O’Leary had some bones to pick.
A Bench resident of five years, he had no idea when moving in that his Palouse Street property was at the epicenter of the rabbit infestation, which is most active south of Overland between Roosevelt Street and Vista Avenue.
For one, his dogs often spot rabbits in the yard through the windows, prompting them to bark, he told the Statesman.
“They seem to be really active in the morning, so that drives us a little nuts as we’re running around the house getting ready for the day and the dogs are going crazy,” O’Leary said.
He added that the bunnies will often dig under their backyard shed and hang out beneath vehicles in the mornings. Fortunately, he said, adding the same type of fencing used in the flowerbed around the shed has helped with that issue.
O’Leary said the rabbit overpopulation has ramped up in the past three years, and that last year, the small animals completely tore up the front flower bed.
“I would say they probably ruined a couple hundred dollars worth of flowers last year,” he told the Statesman. “It’s kind of a bummer.”
Schellhaas echoed that fencing off yards has been effective for many Bench residents, and that using chicken wire as a material is often a cheap and easy option. She also said residents could look into installing motion controlled sprinklers that are typically used to keep feral cats out of yards.
“Anybody who wants to deter rabbits from coming in, there’s certainly a lot of different methodologies to implement,” she said.
How the Humane Society deals with Bench bunnies
The Idaho Humane Society has helped handle the Bench’s bunny problem for years, Schellhaas said. So far in 2025, the IHS has facilitated the adoption of 119 rabbits and transferred 87 to the local gardening store Zamzows, which offers rabbits for adoption through a partnership with IHS.
“They’re a great local company,” Schellhaas said. “When we had some pet overflow, we asked if they would consider taking some of our rabbits so that we can continue to bring in the rabbits and get them adopted. They offer another avenue to help us find homes.”
Schellhaas said stray bunnies must be under 2 pounds for IHS to take them in. If they are heavier than that, IHS will still spay or neuter them, but you must be willing to bring the rabbit back to your yard.
“If you’re interested in rabbits, definitely get them altered, if they don’t come altered,” Schellhaas said.
She added that IHS and Zamzows bunnies already come spayed and neutered, microchipped and examined by a veterinarian, which can help prospective rabbit owners save money and avoid contributing to rabbit overpopulation.
Though IHS is experienced with the unique problem posed by the Bench bunnies, Schellhaas said the overpopulation still places a burden on the organization.
“Our primary focus is dogs and cats and so we just don’t have the bandwidth to deal with rabbits on top of everything else that we have,” she told the Statesman. “We recognize they’re amazing creatures, and we want people, if they’re getting a rabbit, to be educated.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
