Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit Recovery - February 2023

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff, alongside employees from several agency partners, conducted wild captures of Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits in February 2023 to collect data on the rabbits, complete a health exam, and vaccinate the rabbits against an emerging threat - rabbit hemorrhagic disease. This work was conducted as part of a major conservation recovery effort underway for this species.

In 2001, with as few as 16 pygmy rabbits known to exist in Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a captive breeding program with the intent of reintroducing rabbits to the wild. Since 2011, over 2,000 pygmy rabbits have been released on wildlife areas and nature preserves in Washington. Learn more at https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/...