Contacts
Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
11103 East Montgomery Drive
Spokane, Washington 99206
Phone: 509/891-6839
Fax: 509/891-6748
01-136
Contact: Chris Warren or Susan Martin, 509/891-6839
Questions and Answers
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted immediate endangered species status to the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit under the emergency rule provisions of the Endangered Species Act. This population of the pygmy rabbit, the smallest rabbit in North America, consists of fewer than 50 individuals in Douglas County, Washington.
Service biologists have determined that the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit is imminently threatened with extinction because of recent significant population declines, as well as ongoing disturbances to its sagebrush habitat, disease, predation, and loss of genetic diversity.
An emergency listing under the Endangered Species Act provides immediate federal protection for 240 days while the Service simultaneously publishes a proposed rule under normal procedures to list the population as endangered. The public is invited to comment on the proposed rule and submit scientific information about the species’ status.
"The number of Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits in Washington has declined dramatically over the past decade," said Anne Badgley, regional director of the Service’s Pacific Region. "This distinct population of pygmy rabbits is extremely vulnerable to a variety of natural and human-caused threats, and today’s emergency rule provides immediate protection while we go through the normal process of proposing the population for listing."
The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a distinct population of native rabbit that once occupied Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Adams, and Benton Counties in central Washington. Pygmy rabbits occur in other areas of the West, but the Columbia Basin population is genetically unique, has been isolated from other populations for thousands of years, and occupies an unusual ecological setting. The Act allows the listing of distinct population segments of vertebrate species.
Although rabbits normally are associated with a high reproductive capacity, scientists point out that such reproduction does not necessarily translate into secure populations, particularly when disease, predators and food shortages are common. Recent data indicate that pygmy rabbits may not have the same capacity for rapid reproduction as other species of hares and rabbits.
In the spring of 2001, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife began a captive breeding program for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit so that captive-bred animals could be released into the wild to help recover the population. To date, 12 pygmy rabbits have been captured from the Columbia Basin population as an initial source for captive breeding efforts. Biologists have observed reproductive behavior in these animals, including the birth of five offspring that were conceived in the wild. Washington has listed the pygmy rabbit as endangered under state law and has undertaken various management efforts to protect the Columbia Basin population segment.
Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits measure less than a foot in length and weigh approximately one pound. Their overall color is slate-gray tipped with brown. They have whitish bellies, cinnamon-brown legs and chests, and short, rounded ears. Their tails are very small and nearly unnoticeable. In the wild, pygmy rabbits primarily eat sagebrush, native bunchgrasses, and other perennial plants.
Currently, the species only occurs on state land. However, the Foster Creek Conservation District is developing a Habitat Conservation Plan for private agricultural interests in Douglas County. The plan will address ranching, farming, and orchard activities, and will likely also include conservation measures for Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits on private lands.
The Service’s emergency and proposed rules to list the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit were published in today’s Federal Register. Copies may be obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Upper Columbia Fish and Wildlife Office, 11103 E. Montgomery Drive, Spokane, Washington 99206. The publication of the proposed rule opens a 60-day comment period during which the public is invited to submit comments and information, which should be sent to the office Supervisor at the above address.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices, and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
- FWS -
 
Photo Credit: WDFW
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
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