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the effort? Reasons for sketicism abound. The government has spent over half a decade and millions of dollars trying to create a population of animals that are 'almost' Columbia Basin Pygmies. Despite the proverbial fecundity of rabbits, they have been unable to get the two purebred females to mate with their Idaho-mix cousins.

Another troubling aspect of this effort came to light in March of 2007, when 20 of the captive-bred bunnies were released into the wild near Ephrata, Washington. Within 6 months, 19 of them had been eaten by predators. Wildlife officials have vowed to try again, once the captive rabbits' numbers are high enough.

It's heart-breaking, but at this point, it may be time to let this subspecies go. We have two actual Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits left. They refuse, thus far, to breed. Very few of the 88 animals in captivity are even 75% Columbia Basin Pygmy. Plus, they are so vulnerable to predators that we have no safe place to release the animals back into the wild. What is the point of creating these hybrids, just to set them out as coyote snacks?

Maybe this pessimism is premature. Perhaps the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit will become another captive-breeding miracle, like the California Condor and the Black-footed Ferret. As of January 2008, though, the prospects look bleak.

Sources:

"Last male pygmy rabbit of his kind dies" Associated Press, (May 18th, 2006)
available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12 851338/

NatureMapping, Pygmy Rabbit Fact Sheet for Grades 7-12
http://depts.washington.ed u/natmap/facts/pygmy_rabbit_71 2.html

"Feds to Mull Protection for Pygmy Rabbit," Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press (January 8, 2008)
available at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200 80108/ap_on_sc/pygmy_rabbits

Wi kipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Pygmy_Rabbit

Learn more about this author, Kallie Szczepanski.
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