RABBITS AND HARES of different kinds—I speak here of species rather than of breeds—are far more numerous than I ever imagined. Unfortunately, many of them are on the edge of existence. The Lagomorph Specialist Group of IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) maintains a “red list” of all endangered rabbit, hare, and pika species. It lists almost 100 (up from 8o a decade ago) of them whose existence hangs in the balance. Their threat levels range from “extinct to “critically threatened to “near threatened, to “vulnerable, to “of least concern.” Astonishingly, 52 rabbit and hare species are on the list. The Riverine, the Volcano, and the Sumatran rabbits are just three of the most imperiled.
Riverine Rabbit (South Africa)
DISTINGUISHED BY ITS white eye rings and a black streak running from the corner of its mouth across its cheek toward the ear, the Riverine rabbit is nocturnal and solitary. It weighs between 3.5 to 4 pounds, and the females produce a single litter yearly. Usually of one kitten only.
The Riverine inhabits a very specialized environment along the banks of rivers in the central and southern semi-arid desert of South Africa known as the Karoo. This is the land where ancient aboriginal tribes of hunter-gatherer bushmen called the San once lived. Thus, the Riverine’s alternative name is the Bushman rabbit. It depends for food, shelter, and cover from both human and animal predators upon the vegetation that grows in the silt deposits produced by the seasonal flooding of the desert rivers. As a result, it seeks to survive along a very narrow floodplain where the soil is good compared to that in the rest of the Karoo.
This puts the Riverine in fatal competition with humans, who have both ploughed over the Riverine’s habitat for cultivation and allowed overgrazing by farm animals, degrading the natural river environment and fracturing the Riverine’s population into isolated groups.
All Riverine habitat is on privately owned property. Thus, if the Riverine is to survive, conservation organizations must convince landowners to practice responsible stewardship along the critical river zones, as well as to desist from hunting and trapping, The Riverine Rabbit Programme (RRP) is a private conservation group attempting to forestall the Riverine’s extinction by working with land holders.
Volcano Rabbit (Mexico)
WEIGHING JUST UNDER one pound (males) or just over (females), the Volcano rabbit is the second smallest rabbit in the world. Indeed, the only smaller one is our own nearly threatened Pygmy rabbit from areas in and near southern Idaho. Curiously, the Volcano is in some respects more like the pika than the rabbit: it has rounded ears and a barely visible tail (conspicuous only in infants. and it employs considerable vocalization in order to communicate with its fellows.
The Volcano maintains its precarious life in small social groups of 2-5 individuals on a mere 110-180 square miles of habitat on the upper slopes of four volcanoes in central Mexico. On these slopes, tall zacatón grasses grow in the rocky terrain under pine forests, which the Volcano rabbit needs for both food and shelter. The Volcano hides among these grasses; it travels in runways it has created through the grasses, and it digs shallow holes near the base of root dumps to give birth to its young.
Because the Volcano rabbit lives a mere 45 minutes from the largest city in the world, that is, Mexico City, with a population of 21 million humans, it is highly vulnerable to the relentless human activities that destroy habitat and kill animals. Humans are encroaching from the city and rural settlements, burning the zacatón grasses to create pasture and promote development. This in turn has fragmented the Volcano rabbits’ habitats and turned the population into genetically isolated groups. Also, although illegal, target practice for bird hunting also kills many Volcano rabbits. Conservationists in Mexico are attempting to enforce laws that restrict development in the Volcanos core habitats, establish buffer zones connecting these areas, and discourage wanton shooting.
Sumatran Rabbit (Indonesia)
THE İSLAND OF SUMATRA is home to one of the rarest rabbits on earth. Hidden in the mountain forests of west and southwest Sumatra, the Sumatran Rabbit apparently disappeared from human view from 1916 until nearly the 21st century. Only one confirmed sighting occurred after 1916, that is, in 1972, until the Sumatran’s image was captured on film by one photographer and by camera traps set by wildlife researchers studying other animals.
The Sumatran is about the size of our European rabbit. It has dramatic black or dark brown stripes across its yellowish gray body. Its ears are short and black. Rarely seen and even uncommon in its own habitat, the Sumatran lIives a nocturnal life, feeding on the plants growing in the volcanic soils of the forest floor.
Researchers are uncertain whether it excavates its own burrows or uses those of other animals. They know nothing of its social or reproductive behavior. Clearly it has low tolerance for human disturbance. Unfortunately, humans are now taking over the Sumatrans living range to make way for coffee, tea, and cocoa plantations. Because the area where it was most recently sighted on film is a national park in the Barisan mountains of Western Sumatra, wildlife researchers are urging that development be controlled in that area and that the Sumatran rabbit become the subject of study and conservation.
The Riverine, Volcano, and Sumatran rabbits each evolved to make its way in a very specialized environment, hidden and inaccessible, out of the way of humankind. But of course, we eventually found them out. And now we must remember that the world belongs to animals too, even to those who might not wish to share their lives with us.
Photograph Credits
Sumatran Rabbit: A.Cambone, Rlsotti/Homo ambiens
Riverine Rabbit: Tony Camacho/Science Photo Library
Volcano Rabbit: Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles California Academy of Science
Bibliography
Lagomorph Specialist Group. https://iucn.org/our-union/commissions/group/iucn-ssc-lagomorph-specialist-group
Chapman, J. A. and John E. C. Flux. Rabbits, Hares and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (1990). Gland, Switzerlarnd: IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group.
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Mexican Association for Conservation and Study of Lagomorphs (AMCELA), Romero Malpica, FJ. Rangel Cordero, H, de Grammont, PC. & Cuarón, RedList of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1
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