animalphiles

Rare rabbits successfully do the wild thing

Only two of the twenty Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits released into the wild in March remain in the release area in central Washington.  Luckily it was one male and one female, and researchers say they have done what rabbits do best - breed.

They had to dodge coyotes, badgers, hawks and other predators but still found time to start a family. A researcher found the female digging a burrow and lining it with grass, an indication she was preparing to give birth - and later spotted a juvenile rabbit near another burrow from what is believed to be a second litter of babies.

The Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area where the captive rabbits were released is considered the last native home of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. The rabbit was listed as a state endangered species in 1993 and protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2003.

The reasons the Columbia Basin rabbits declined are not precisely known, although scientists suspect inbreeding among such a small population was a major factor. Range fires, farming, disease and predators also are thought to have taken their toll.

Washington State University, the Oregon Zoo and Northwest Trek near Tacoma, working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are raising between 75-100 pygmy rabbits for eventual release. One is scheduled for this fall, and additional steps will be taken to protect the females, such as erecting fences or cages around burrows to keep predators out.

Rare striped rabbit caught by camera

Hippity, hoppity…click! So went the latest appearance of one of the world’s rarest rabbits, captured on film by a camera trap in the rain forests of Indonesia, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society.

In fact, the Sumatran striped rabbit—a little over a foot in length with brown stripes—is so rare that recent photos taken in Bukit Barisan National Park are only the third ever recorded, the first dating from 1998 in Kerinci Seblat National Park, and the second taken from Bukit Barisan National Park in 2000. Before that, the last confirmed sighting by scientists of a living animal dated from 1972, and only 15 specimens exist in museums, all dating from before1929. It is currently listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

“This rabbit is so poorly known that any proof of its continued existence at all is great news and confirms the conservation importance of Sumatra’s forests,” said Colin Poole, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Asia Program.

The rabbit is only known to exist from forests along the mountainous spine of Sumatra, and was thought to be the only representative of its genus. In 1999, however, researchers discovered another striped rabbit in the Annamite Mountains that straddle Lao PDR and Vietnam. Although both species seem similar in appearance, genetic samples revealed that the Sumatran and Annamite striped rabbits are closely related but separate species from one another. According to the findings, both species have been diverging for approximately 8 million years.
photo: Wildlife Conservation Society

Pygmy rabbit release a success

We now have pictures of a story posted here last week. The Oregon Zoo and other conservation groups released some rare pygmy rabbits in Washington's Sagebrush Flats.  20 endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits were released at the entrances of artificial burrows, which had been placed prior to their arrival. Most rabbits appeared nervous, but easily made their way into the burrows, with a few immediately popping out their heads to survey their new habitat.

 

Endangered pygmy rabbits to be released

From the Oregon Zoo:
On March 13, the Oregon Zoo and other organizations will release 20 endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits into the wild for the first time - near Ephrata, Washington. Wildlife officials will oversee the release and will, initially, protect the rabbits from predators, to increase their chances of surviving in the wild.

8 of the rabbits are fitted with radio transmitters so biologists can track everything from their movements to reproduction.

Washington's Columbia Basin is geographically isolated from other pygmy rabbit populations, which makes loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding a problem. In addition, the rabbits' diet consists of old growth (deep soil) sagebrush, which is becoming scarce in eastern Washington.

The Oregon Zoo is home to 35 pygmy rabbits, including two full-blooded Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits: Lolo, a male, and Bryn, a female. The zoo's successful breeding program was the subject of the very first post on animalphiles.com.

Endangered pygmy rabbits returned to the wild

From the Oregon Zoo:
After six years of trial and error, the Oregon Zoo's successful breeding efforts may help bring North America's smallest rabbit back from the brink of extinction. This March, the zoo will release 12 of Washington state's pygmy rabbits into the wild.  This will be the first introduction of the endangered rabbits into their natural habitat since their removal for emergency captive breeding.

"This tiny rabbit is a big success story," says Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "Collaborating with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State University and Northwest Trek, we've worked tirelessly to help save Washington's endangered pygmy rabbits from certain extinction."