Gray-brown New England horsetail (Silvilagus transitionalis) is the only native of New England. rabbit– once flourished in the northeastern United States. However, the species' population has declined sharply in recent decades due to habitat loss, and its range has declined by more than 80 percent since the 1960s. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calls them vulnerable. Moreover, New England cottontails are often displaced by non-native eastern cottontails (Silvilagus floridanus).
In an effort to support this vulnerable species, the Queens Zoo in New York City has just released 15 adorable young New England cottontails. rabbits in the forests of Maine and Massachusetts.
“Our efforts to breed these rabbits to help keep them from going extinct shows the enormous value zoos have for wildlife conservation, especially for species on the brink of extinction,” Nicole Schepis, a wildlife keeper at the Queens Zoo who works with rabbits, says the statement.
Since 2016, the Queens Zoo in New York has provided 145 rabbits to the New England Tail Conservation Program. STORY: Queens Zoo and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Child rabbitsor kittens, were born at the Queens Zoo between May and July of this year. Later that summer, they were microchipped and treated with flea and tick medication. On August 22, six were released at Fort Foster Park in Kittery, Maine, four were taken to Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, also in Maine, and five were placed on Thacher Island off the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts.
The kittens' parents were raised at the Queens Zoo, away from the public eye, with special, quiet habitats designed to allow females to choose their mates, and designed to allow courtship and nesting as would occur in the wild. Employees communicated with rabbits in the breeding program as little as possible to give them the best chance of survival in the wild.
“This release marks another important step in the ongoing recovery of the New England cottontail,” said Donna-Mae Butcher, assistant curator of animals at the Queens Zoo. “By working together with our partners, we are helping to ensure there is a future for this local rabbit.”
New England horsetail kits from the Queens Zoo have also previously been released in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Since 2016, the zoo has provided 145 rabbits to the New England Tail Conservation Program. They plan to breed them again next year.
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