Runway rabbits at Miami airport may be running out of time MIAMI (AP) ? Federal officials are set to begin using shotguns and pellet rifles Monday morning to rid Miami International Airport's runways of black-tailed jackrabbits, which have been deemed a safety hazard by the Federal Aviation Administration. Officials believe as many as 500 of the wild hares are living near the airport's runways, although animal-rights groups are claiming the number of actual rabbits is significantly lower. The FAA has ordered that the hares be removed because they tend to get run over by aircraft and their carcasses attract hungry turkey vultures that hover above the runway, jeopardizing planes. According to FAA reports, 101 people were injured in the United States and six killed from 1990 through 2001 when birds smashed into windshields or got sucked into engines on landing or takeoff. Teams of trappers and veterinarians worked through the weekend and corralled 73 rabbits, 14 of whom died from stress or injuries from tranquilizer guns. The rabbits that survive the trapping process will be transported to Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas, about 71 miles southeast of Dallas. Animal-rights activists planned to protest Monday morning and ask airport officials for an extension so trappers can complete their job. "It's unconscionable that the airport ... is not allowing the people concerned about the rabbits another month in order to secure the rabbits and send them to another home that would be safe," said Nanci Alexander, president of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. But aviation director Angela Gittens told The Miami Herald she has no intention to extend the rabbit-removal deadline. "There's a time element," Gittens said. "I can't just wait until the last minute and scurry and come up with a solution." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.pscutt.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************