The Tale of Pygmy Rabbit

 

   

 Hello! Let me tell you about one of the cutest rabbits you will ever see. This rabbit is called the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit and it is the smallest rabbit species in America (Orr 1940; Janson 1946; Wilde 1978; Gahr 1993; WDFW 1995). Adults weigh a whopping .83 to 1.1 pounds and are around 9.3 to 11.6 inches (Orr 1940; Janson 1946; Wilde 1978; Gahr 1993; WDFW 1995).

Source: oregonzoo.org

These little guys are fast though for their size and can reach speeds of 15 miles per hour (NWF). They are also the only US rabbit species that actually dig their own burrows to raise their young (NWF). In the summer their fur is a cinnamon brown while in the winter their fur turns gray (savethepygmyrabbit). Their diet consists mostly of sagebrush and when danger is present, the rabbits whistle to alert each other (savethepygmyrabbit). 
 

   The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit is found (unsurprisingly) in the Columbia Basin (Lyman 1991; Lyman 2004) which stretches mostly across the Northwest United States. The rabbits were thought to be “extirpated” (meaning to be completely destroyed) from Washington in the 20th century all until 1979 (USFWS 2012). In 1993 there were around 150 rabbits but the population started to drastically decline from 1997 onwards (WDFW 2001a) with many failed recovery efforts in 2000, 2007, and 2011 (USFWS 2012). As of July 31, 2012, 103 captive-bred rabbits have been released into the wild (USFWS 2012).

Source: USFWS Recovery Plan

The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit was put on the Endangered Species List on January 23, 2013 as Endangered. (USFWS 2012)

The main cause of the Pygmy Rabbit listing is from native shrub that is vital to the rabbit’s habit destroyed due to agriculture and land development (Daubenmire 1988; Franklin and Dyrness 1988; Dobler et al. 1996; WDFW 1995). It has been discovered that around 60% of the native shrub habitat has been fragmented in the Columbia Basin (Dobler et al. 1996). Fragmentation is when habitat is destroyed so that only small pieces of the habitat remain, making it impossible for the rabbits to move around and create family groups (Katzner and Parker 1997).

Other threats to the Pygmy Rabbit are:

*Fire that burns down the sagebrush (Daubenmire 1988; WDFW 1995)

*Parasites that create diseases (Gahr 1993; WDFW 1995)

*Predation (Green 1979)

*Lack of genetic diversity due to small populations (Shaffer 1981).

Source: oregonzoo.org

Luckily, the lovely people of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service have come up with a plan to save these cute little creatures!

1. Manage breeding of rabbits in captivity to ensure genetic diversity and survival in the early years (USFWS 2012)
2. Release the rabbits “within their historical distribution” (USFWS 2012)
3. Monitor wild rabbits to make sure they are doing okay (USFWS 2012)
4. Protect the rabbits (USFWS 2012)
5. Manage habitats so that the rabbits can continue to thrive there (USFWS 2012)
6. Talk to managers and landowners in the habitat and make a conservation agreement (USFWS 2012)
7. Educate the public on the rabbits to increase support (USFWS 2012)
8. Raise money to help the recovery efforts (USFWS 2012)
9. Change the recovery plan if needed so that the final goal with be achieved (USFWS 2012)
   
   
   
   
   Want to find out more? Check out these sites!
   
   
   Learn more about the Oregon Zoo's efforts to help the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits! 
   Read the actual plan the Fish and Wildlife Service have implemented to help!