Setting a trap within the protected enclosures to safely capture Pygmy rabbits

Traps are set in existing entry or exit burrow holes to safely capture rabbits as they attempt to enter or exit the burrows. Pictured WDFW employee JoAnn Wisniewski. The pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is the smallest rabbit in North America. It digs its own burrows, using the deep loamy soils of habitat dominated by sagebrush, which also makes up most of its diet. On June 28th, 2013, USFWS Central Washington Field Office (CWFO) Staffer Heather McPherron assisted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) with capture and release of pygmy rabbits at the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area in recovery efforts for the species. With only one known remnant population, the pygmy rabbit was considered near extinct by 2001. In 2001, WDFW and the USFWS initiated a captive breeding program to eventually reintroduce rabbits to the wild. In 2011, protected enclosures were constructed at the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area to allow breeding on site, but in a protected environment to increase successful reproduction. Pygmy rabbits are then captured from the enclosures and released to artificial burrow sites adjacent to the protected enclosures. Once released, they are free to move about the landscape. For more information about the captive breeding program, visit: wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/pygmy_rabbit/