What destroyed the Watership Down warren?
January 27, 2016 10:11 AM Subscribe
I know this is an obscure and perhaps overly geeky question, but I'm rereading the Richard Adams novel, and just got through the part where the original warren is destroyed. Since the destruction is (movingly) told from the rabbit perspective, it is hard to imagine what the men are actually doing and why. Anyone care to speculate?
THIS IDEALLY SITUATED ESTATE, COMPRISING SIX ACRES OF EXCELLENT BUILDING LAND, IS TO BE DEVELOPED WITH HIGH CLASS MODERN RESIDENCES BY SUTCH AND MARTIN, LIMITED, OF NEWBURY, BERKS.
(from a possibly illegal online pdf you can easily find)
posted by andrewcooke at 10:21 AM on January 27, 2016 [13 favorites]
(from a possibly illegal online pdf you can easily find)
posted by andrewcooke at 10:21 AM on January 27, 2016 [13 favorites]
Blocked holes, poison, and then bulldozers, basically.
posted by JanetLand at 10:23 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 10:23 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
In the horrible mentally scarring childhood ruining cartoon (which I refuse to go find a clip from on YouTube) the original warren is gassed by the property developers. This is a relatively simple procedure (put nasty chemicals into hole, plug hole) which you can find lots of information about on Google. (No I will not Google it for you because did I mention the scarring?)
posted by Wretch729 at 10:43 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Wretch729 at 10:43 AM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
1. Blocked holes.
2. Poison gas that makes the drugged disoriented rabbits run out of the remaining holes if they don't die.
3. People at open holes to club surviving rabbits who come out.
4. Bulldozer to tear up entire warren (which includes bodies of some dead rabbits) so they can level the ground and build houses.
posted by emjaybee at 1:08 PM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
2. Poison gas that makes the drugged disoriented rabbits run out of the remaining holes if they don't die.
3. People at open holes to club surviving rabbits who come out.
4. Bulldozer to tear up entire warren (which includes bodies of some dead rabbits) so they can level the ground and build houses.
posted by emjaybee at 1:08 PM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
In the horrible mentally scarring childhood ruining cartoon (which I refuse to go find a clip from on YouTube) the original warren is gassed by the property developers.
Here's a clip from the original animated movie version of Watership Down that shows Holly describing how the warren was destroyed. Basically it's what emjaybee said.
It's been a little while since I've re-read the book, but I'll have to check my copy to see if there's anything different described in there.
I'm not sure what it says about me that not only was I not scarred by this movie, it was my favorite movie ever when I was young child. My mother was horrified once she actually sat down and watched the "cute" rabbit movie that 6 year old me had repeatedly made her rent from Blockbuster.
posted by litera scripta manet at 1:44 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Here's a clip from the original animated movie version of Watership Down that shows Holly describing how the warren was destroyed. Basically it's what emjaybee said.
It's been a little while since I've re-read the book, but I'll have to check my copy to see if there's anything different described in there.
I'm not sure what it says about me that not only was I not scarred by this movie, it was my favorite movie ever when I was young child. My mother was horrified once she actually sat down and watched the "cute" rabbit movie that 6 year old me had repeatedly made her rent from Blockbuster.
posted by litera scripta manet at 1:44 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
It kind of surprised me that the men bothered to do anything about the rabbits and didn't just start bulldozing. Which makes me wonder if maybe the gassing was considered "more humane"....
posted by The otter lady at 1:56 PM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by The otter lady at 1:56 PM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
In the book there was something about the dead rabbits being "put on a stick" I wonder if they were taken off to be eaten or skinned? Or maybe that was just an easy way to carry them.
posted by emjaybee at 2:58 PM on January 27, 2016
posted by emjaybee at 2:58 PM on January 27, 2016
One of my all time top favorite books ever. I re-read it almost every year around my birthday. And yep to what everyone said about gas, blocked runs, and clubbing. If that part gets to you, by all means NEVER read The Plague Dogs by Adams. That one haunts me to this day and I read it 30 plus years ago.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 3:02 PM on January 27, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 3:02 PM on January 27, 2016 [7 favorites]
The otter lady: "It kind of surprised me that the men bothered to do anything about the rabbits and didn't just start bulldozing. Which makes me wonder if maybe the gassing was considered "more humane"...."
The rabbits will keep rebuilding if you just tear up the warrens and they can be very destructive to foundations.
posted by Mitheral at 5:23 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
The rabbits will keep rebuilding if you just tear up the warrens and they can be very destructive to foundations.
posted by Mitheral at 5:23 PM on January 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
The 'cuddly wabbit' image does not play well here, where they are a declared pest. Rabbit control involves your choice of biological agent (myxo, RCV), gas (as described above), shooting, trapping, and ripping their warrens, in whatever combination works in the particular location. Gas is my preferred tool, sealing all but a couple of strategically located entrances, and then filling them in after the gas. No point in leaving some holes open, the point is to kill them all as quickly and efficiently as possible.
So for me, even as a youngster, there was never any question about why someone would want to eradicate them. Enjoyed the book nevertheless!!
posted by GeeEmm at 8:32 PM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
So for me, even as a youngster, there was never any question about why someone would want to eradicate them. Enjoyed the book nevertheless!!
posted by GeeEmm at 8:32 PM on January 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
They were poisoned, probably to stop them from coming back to the development area. It may be seen as less cruel than other methods of eradication, though of course the rabbits in the book clearly didn't seem to feel that way.
The 'cuddly wabbit' image does not play well here, where they are a declared pest.
Sidenote, I have this issue with deer as well. Bambi made everyone act like deer are angels and hunters are satan's little helpers, but where I live, deer destroy people's gardens and more importantly their small farms and bring deer ticks (carrying lyme disease) to neighborhoods. They smash stuff up, scare/injure children, and can mess up native forests by eating all the new growth when they become plentiful enough.
If unchecked by predation (as where I grew up) they will breed until there's so many of them that there's not enough food to go around, and then they will all slowly, painfully die of starvation and disease. I don't know about the deer, but if I had to pick, I'd take the single shot to the head over that.
I'd imagine rabbits probably have a lot of similar issues that make them less sympathetic to anyone who's dealt with an infestation.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 1:50 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
The 'cuddly wabbit' image does not play well here, where they are a declared pest.
Sidenote, I have this issue with deer as well. Bambi made everyone act like deer are angels and hunters are satan's little helpers, but where I live, deer destroy people's gardens and more importantly their small farms and bring deer ticks (carrying lyme disease) to neighborhoods. They smash stuff up, scare/injure children, and can mess up native forests by eating all the new growth when they become plentiful enough.
If unchecked by predation (as where I grew up) they will breed until there's so many of them that there's not enough food to go around, and then they will all slowly, painfully die of starvation and disease. I don't know about the deer, but if I had to pick, I'd take the single shot to the head over that.
I'd imagine rabbits probably have a lot of similar issues that make them less sympathetic to anyone who's dealt with an infestation.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 1:50 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
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