When we moved to “Hillcrest” in 1975, everywhere was overgrown and rabbits were few and far between. Across the lay-by at the top of the drive was a two acre field, left over when the A47 was straightened. On our west side was a large, sandy arable field. About 1982, the uneconomic two acres was planted with trees with treeguards, but was not fenced. Rabbits from a sandpit across the A47 moved in. For another dozen years, they were regularly persecuted on the large arable field, but colonised the top bank of the pastureland to the east of us. In 1995, the cows went and cropping on that side became intermittent to say the least, whilst the sandy field to the west has been set-aside for most of the last 15 years, with a two year break for potatoes somewhere in the middle.

In the meantime, the rabbits have inexorably extended their empire down both sides of our hectare of land.

In 1996, I rescued a kitten who, with his sibling, had been dumped on a roadside. The sibling was already dead. The survivor, little more than a month old, was introduced to a saucer of milk and has never looked back.

In 1997, then a year old, he discovered that baby rabbits are good to eat and for the past eleven summers has disdained all other food between late March and mid- July. Until 2004 the remainder were kept under control by an annual autumnal outbreak of myxomatosis. Since that date, very few deaths from this cause have occurred and the population had, by the autumn of 2007, well outgrown its food supply.

Gradually, but with increasing frequency, the rabbit defences have been strengthened: “rabbit netting” all round the garden including alongside all the privet hedges. Another barrier was of netting a foot inside the first across the end of the garden most under attack. “You must bury the wire so that they do not tunnel under it.” we were told. Really? Last summer they tunnelled under two wire netting fences and came up five yards away in the carrot patch!

“Grow plants that rabbits don’t like” One might enquire what do they not like? Well, they do not normally touch snowdrops, bluebells or daffodil leaves, but when the daffodil flowers appear, they will bite these off and leave just the stalks. Crocus and “Star Garlic” (Tristagma) are close grazed and they will nibble off some of the autumn crocus leaves. All trees have to be protected against being barked. They especially like apple , lilac, ash and privet, but are less keen on plum or Laburnum. They absolutely adore Hebes of all kinds and also Spiraea “Anthony Waterer” which are all eaten down to stumps. They also bit off the bottom twigs from Junipers but only eat the green bits and leave the discard twigs all over the lawn (only moss left now). Likewise, Blacksmith’s Apron suffers the indignity of having its leaves bitten off just to eat the stalks. Apparently Cordyline is particularly tasty as, when they discovered one which had been growing happily outdoors for several years, they ate the whole plant right down to the ground, the stem being apparently particularly succulent.

Anyone who grows the Spurge, Euphorbia myrsinites will know that, when damaged, it exudes an astringent copious white milk that will burn the skin where ever it touches. This has proved to be an especial treat for our rabbits as they eat it with relish!

Where do we, or they, go from here? A few days ago, we were astonished to see a rabbit come scrambling up onto the top of the Privet hedge (five feet from the ground outside, though with a three foot “ladder” of wire netting for starters). It started grazing the top of the hedge, and when I went out after it, I had a job to persuade it to leave. Only then did we realise that, under cover of darkness, they had already grazed three quarters of the length of the hedge which is about 40 metres long.

I seem to remember hearing someone say “You can’t win.” I would tend to agree!