Under the Sign of the Rabbit

The 3rd of February 2011 marks the beginning of the Chinese year of the rabbit. Rabbits are well known all over the world – their docile temperament and calm nature have turned the cuddly mammals into people’s favourite. However there is a fact about rabbits that is known only to a few: many cottontails are threatened with extinction. Nowadays nearly one of four species of rabbits, pikas and hares, which all belong to the Lagomorph order, is endangered. And probably the most threatened rabbits worldwide lives in Africa: the critically endangered Riverine Rabbit.
The Riverine Rabiit was first discovered in 1902 but during the last 70 years its population experienced a dramatic decline of 60 Prozent or even more.
The Riverine Rabit is endemic to the central Karoo Desert of South Africa. It lives in the dense riverine shrub along the few seasonal rivers where it finds enough food and shelter from the hot desert sun. The alluvial soils adjacent to the rivers are also the place where the females prepare their underground burrow for their offspring.
The main threat to the Riverine Rabbit is loss and degradation of its habitat. Over the last century most of the alluvial floodplain soils have been converted for agriculture or been lost as a result of livestock farming. Today less than 35 Prozent of its original habitat is still available and thus highly fragmented. Other threats to the Riverine Rabbit include sport hunting and accidental mortality in traps set for pest animals on farmlands.
Stiftung Artenschutz supports the conservation measures for the Riverine Rabbit in South Africa. The supported project was initiated by the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP). In the mean time, the Riverine Rabbit Working Group (RRWG) led by the project manager Dr Vicky Nel has become a part of the South Africa¹s largest conservation organization, the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The RRWG coordinates the conservation efforts for the Riverine Rabbit and its habitat. Its work covers six areas: field studies, environmental education, protected areas, habitat management, monitoring and research.

Support our work for the conservation of the Riverine Rabbit