Conservationists Struggle To Save The New England Cottontail Rabbit

The New England cottontail rabbit may soon find itself on the endangered species list as conservationists struggle to prevent the species from disappearing entirely.

The species was once extremely common, and even served as the inspiration for Thornton Burgess's famous children's book character Peter Cottontail. In recent years however, the population has dwindled so far that according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the cottontail can now only be found in five spots throughout New York and New England.

A report by the organization has found that suburban and urban expansion has resulted in an 86% reduction of the cottontails habitat since the 1960s. This species has historically thrived in forests and shrublands, environments that have been mostly destroyed in the region over the past fifty years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is joining forces with conservationists, researchers, and private landowners to help restore some of the cottaintail's habitat. The Associated Press reports that if this group does not move quickly, the rabbit may end up listed on the federal Endangered Species Act, which would require by law an expensive government response that may include land and hunting restrictions.

As part of these efforts, the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island has been helping to breed New England cottontails for the last few years. It has so far released 38 rabbits into restored habitats in the area, and hopes t release 100 more later this year.

The New England cottontail is technically the only rabbit species native to the region east of the Hudson River. However, according to the AP report, in the past century it has had to compete with the Eastern cottontail, a species introduced by humans for hunting. The Eastern cottontail is larger with more developed eyes, allowing it to better avoid predators. It can also live in a wider variety of environments, ranging from backyards to forests, making it much more suited to the current conditions than the New England species.