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Hungry rabbits terrorise Aberdeenshire school

Susan Swallow, support for learning in the garden at Ellon Academy.
Susan Swallow, support for learning in the garden at Ellon Academy.

The best efforts of staff and pupils at Ellon Academy have failed to prevent a small army of hungry rabbits from wreaking havoc.

Three years ago, they were forced to placed rabbit-proof wire around their community garden in a despairing effort to protect their prized plants and vegetables.

But last summer an army of hungry rabbits discovered a weak spot in the fencing and took full advantage.

Before long, they had built a warren in a steep bank near the garden and dug an underground tunnel to break into the garden.

A 30cm deep tunnel built by intruding rabbits

The cute but troublesome mammals even chewed the bark off some of the school’s prize fruit trees – cordons, step-overs and espalier – which may die as a result.

Now staff from Ellon Academy Community Campus has launched a fundraiser to purchase additional rabbit wire and a weed barrier in an effort to “keep the rabbits out for good.”

Additional support teacher Susan Swallow started the garden in 2015 and said the rabbits were now “popping up everywhere”.

She said: “They started appearing last summer and we soon started to notice the scale of the problem.

“Just yesterday, I was looking at the polytunnels in the garden and noticed that a hole has been dug in its side.

“It will be a real shame if our plants began to die, especially with all the hard work the students have put into the project.”

Ms Swallow has set a fundraising target of £664 to cover the costs of rabbit-proofing the garden and hopes to replace some damaged trees and buy enviro-mesh to protect vulnerable beds in the future.

She also plans to use hoops and netting to shelter some beds and will lay some of the rabbit wire near the school’s car park – to deter entry by rabbits coming from that direction.

(left to right) are Jacob Vavangas, Darren Bryce, Dougal MacIver and Lewis Milne.

It is hoped the garden will be suitably fortified against rabbits by the summer, when work begins on a Memorial Garden in memory of former students and teachers.

The project already has local support, with inmates at Peterhead Prison even offering their services to create structures for the memorial.

Ms Swallow said: “Staff and pupils both use the garden. It brings us together.

“Pupils can learn teamwork skills, increase their confidence and get some transferrable skills for the future.

Susan Swallow

“Plans for the Memorial Garden are taking shape, and I do look forward to what we may achieve.”

To donate to the Ellon Academy’s garden, search Susan Swallow onJustGiving.com or to follow along with the school’s plans for a Memorial Garden, visit eagerbunch.blogspot.com.