The last purebred male rabbit died

The last male rabbit of the purebred tiny rabbit group in the Colombian basin (USA) "died", leaving two female rabbits in a breeding program to try to maintain the species' survival. are in danger of extinction.

These little rabbits are only found in Douglas County in central north of Washington. No one is thought to exist in the wild world, which means that the two female rabbits, Lolo and Brryn, which are currently kept, are the only purebred tiny rabbits left on. Earth.

"They are inhabitants of Earth before the end of the ice age in eastern Washington. This loss can never be counted," said Jon Marvel, executive director. of the Western River Basin Project, a member of the population protection group of purebred rabbit breeds throughout the West, said.

Biological researchers have captured 16 rabbits in remote areas of Douglas County in 2001 to start the breeding program. Dave Hays, a biologist who studies endangered species, said Ely, the last of the 16 rabbits, died on March 30 at the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

The last two rabbits in Columbia Bay, the offspring of the captured rabbits, are now at the Portland Zoo.

The fate of today's quarantined rabbits is all part of a breeding program with a very close Idaho Idaho rabbit.

The breeding program conducted at Oregon Zoo, Washington State University and Northwest Trek in the east of Olympia now has 88 Idaho-like rabbits and Idaho hybrid Washington. There are 13 female rabbits in the breeding program that have a genome similar to 75% compared to the tiny rabbit in Columbia.

However, attempts to fertilize two purebred rabbits like Washington were unsuccessful.

In the next month, biologists will know how many female rabbits are pregnant and how many hybrid rabbits will be born this year. Some rabbits will be released in Douglas County, possibly early this October.

Biologists are planning to build artificial caves in the fields where rabbits reside next month to prepare them for release to nature.

VA