Rabbits call MCC home in ’70s, ’80s
Mike Morgan
Mesa Legend
Domesticated rabbits once ruled Mesa Community College from 1980 through 1991. Yes, that’s right, rabbits.
No one seems to know exactly where they came from, only that there was a large number of them which inhabited the school’s grounds.
Most however, were centrally located by the portable on the south side of campus, said Richard Effland, a professor at Mesa Community College and who has worked here for about 27 years.
Effland said that they “lived under the portable” for the most part.
One rumor as to where they came from originally, is that someone just left a handful of the domestic rabbits on campus and they just rapidly reproduced until the rabbits reached a very noticeable number.
The rabbits “had been around awhile and just overpopulated,” Effland said. People used to feed the rabbits, which most likely added to the problem.
Another rumor is that a few domestic rabbits escaped from one of the biology classrooms or were released from one.
Allen Benedict, who works for the Office of Development, said he actually “liked the rabbits” and did not consider them to be a nuisance. They were destructive though, Benedict admitted.
As quickly as the rabbits appeared, they declined for some reason, which has been a topic of debate from time to time.
They may have been killed by poison, as it was rumored to be an idea to get rid of them. However, Effland reiterated that it was “only a rumor.” Benedict said that another rumor was that they could “catch and release them somewhere.”
No one though, can seem to figure out just where the rabbits disappeared to and why. Two of the rabbits can still be found by the south side portable.
One explanation is that some students, faculty, and other people, took the once overpopulated rabbits home to keep as pets since the rabbits were indeed domesticated.
According to Trinity Blackwell, an office coordinator for the Student Life and Leadership Office, her Mom brought a few rabbits home, but eventually let them go because they reproduced rapidly.
In the end, that may explain how the problem started in the first place.
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