Residents of a suburb exterior of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., don’t fairly know what to do about their new neighbors: dozens of domesticated rabbits, and counting.

An estimated 75 rabbits have made their dwelling on Jenada Isles, a small neighborhood of about 80 households inside the suburb of Wilton Manors, after a former resident moved away a few years in the past and left behind a pair of pet lionhead rabbits that bred. Officials and residents are weighing options that may spare the rabbits from getting euthanized and nonetheless maintain them out of lawns, roads and the Florida warmth.

One resident involved in regards to the rabbits’ security confirmed as much as a neighborhood assembly in May with three pet rabbits in a stroller, in line with town, which was unable to establish the person.

Jenada Isles is technically an island inside the suburb, surrounded by canals, which has contained the rabbit colony and allowed them to multiply in a small area.

Two years in the past, Courtney Turney encountered the rabbits when her 100-pound hound combine dragged her throughout a neighbor’s garden. “In Florida, we don’t have bunnies, so I wasn’t expecting a bunny,” she stated, however “the dog saw it and took after it — and that’s the first time I noticed them.”

Now, “there’s a lot,” stated Ms. Turney, who has lived within the neighborhood for almost three years. “They’re absolutely adorable,” she added. Rabbits are identified to breed quickly; feminine rabbits usually have between 4 and eight litters yearly, specialists say.

The rabbits sprint throughout streets and burrow in yards. Some have eaten by way of wires and gotten in the way in which of cyclists and motorists, a spokesperson for Wilton Manors stated, considerations residents have shared with town.

This spring, plans for the rabbits’ elimination grew to become a topic debated in metropolis boards.

At a city commission meeting in April, native leaders mentioned choices proposed by Gary Blocker, the chief of police in Wilton Manors. Mr. Blocker steered town contract a trapping service. Chris Caputo, a commissioner, stated he was involved that if the trappers “have no place to put them, either we need to find homes for them ourselves or they’re going to be euthanized.” He added, “We’re going to have residents upset about that as well.”

In a Facebook post, Mr. Caputo referred to as the trapping effort a “Bunny Blitz.”

The chance that the bunnies could be euthanized struck concern in some, together with Alicia Griggs, who has lived on Jenada Isles for 39 years. She stated on Monday that whereas town had agreed as a substitute to rent a rescue group, “it’s been three months now and they’re still dragging their feet.”

Concerned by the rabbits’ lack of ability to outlive in rising temperatures or fend for themselves in opposition to predators, Ms. Griggs began a fundraiser and started coordinating with native rescues.

“I’m trying to help get something accomplished before they die,” stated Ms. Griggs, who took in 4 rabbits to foster on Sunday night. To cease the breeding, all the rabbits have to be caught. They want well being assessments, to be spayed or neutered and to be fostered till they are often adopted, stated Ms. Griggs, who stated she by no means imagined she would be taught this a lot about rabbits.

Central to the chaos is that no native rescue group is giant sufficient to seize and home all the rabbits from the island, stated Dylan Warfel, a board member at Penny and Wild Smalls of South Florida, a rabbit and guinea pig rescue that has begun efforts to rescue the animals with the hope that funding from town will ultimately come by way of.

While some neighbors argue that the presence of the rabbits is a delight and they need to merely be left alone, “they’re not wild animals,” Ms. Warfel stated. “They’re supposed to be in the pet trade. They shouldn’t be outside in the first place.” Many of the rabbits are sick or in ache from ear mites, she stated, including, “They need to be moved now, not in two months.”

As one metropolis chief put it on the April fee assembly: “It’s a problem because the rabbits are proliferating: The longer we wait, the more there are.”

In Florida, the place it’s a misdemeanor to neglect a pet, some residents stated they hoped to see town maintain their former neighbor accountable for the island’s present predicament. A spokesperson for town stated in an e-mail that “there has been no proof of criminal activity associated with this issue, and we will continue to assess whether criminal activity is associated with these circumstances.”

In an emailed assertion, Mr. Blocker, the police chief, stated, “The safety of this rabbit population is of utmost importance to the city.”

“Any decision to involve ourselves will be certain to see these rabbits placed into the hands of people with a passion to provide the necessary care and love for these rabbits,” he added.

On Friday, Mr. Blocker emailed a standing replace to the residents of Jenada Isles that stated discussions with a rescue group would proceed and that subsequent steps included figuring out potential funding and receiving approval from Wilton Manors and a written settlement for the providers offered.

“If anyone has interest in fostering rabbits, please let us know and we will place you on a list,” he wrote.

“I don’t think it’s a simple solution,” stated Ms. Turney, as a result of “you can leave no bunny behind.” She stated that what unites the neighborhood is “that nobody wants the bunnies harmed.”

“I am guilty of feeding the bunnies,” she stated, “which is not illegal, I learned.”