It hasn't been a good holiday season for the Easter bunny. First, a German man sues the Easter icon for 'bodily harm' and 'distress' and now the country of New Zealand is giving out a warning that he's not welcome over there, either.

According to local reports, hundreds of hunters will gather to stalk and shoot thousands of rabbits over the weekend as part of moves to cut numbers of the big-eating, fast-breeding pests, which are not native to the country and are blamed for destroying plants and pastures.

"The Easter icon is in fact a villain," says Chris Macann, a spokesperson for Environment Canterbury, a government-backed group on New Zealand's South Island.

"It is very hard to get the message across that although these look like cute cuddly creatures we want them dead," he says.

Over 500 hunters bagged over 21,000 rabbits and hares last year in the hilly grasslands of the Central Otago region, according to hunt organizer Dave Ramsay.