Seven Captive-Bred New England Cottontails Released At Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge

On September 17^th, 2019, the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex released seven New England Cottontails (NEC) at Ninigret NWR, in coordination the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southern New England Coastal Program, the State Division of Fish and Wildlife, the University of Rhode Island, and many others. “New England cottontails were last documented at Ninigret NWR in 2005, and since then, only eastern cottontails have been detected during annual surveys, so this is a very momentous occasion,” said refuge biologist Nick Ernst. The 350-acre release site is ranked as the most suitable location in the state for NEC, and the dense shrubland will provide optimal food and cover.

The young rabbits, born at the Roger Williams Park Zoo and Queens Zoo, spent a month in a one-acre holding pen where they acclimated to life under more natural conditions prior to their release. Each rabbit was fitted with GPS collars in order to monitor their survival and distribution regularly.

New England cottontail numbers declined drastically over the past 50 years due to shrubland habitat loss and suspected competition for habitat with eastern cottontails, a game species introduced to the region in the early 20^th century for hunting. The Eastern cottontail through its ability to detect predators sooner, is capable of foraging more safely in open cover, allowing it to occupy a greater variety of habitats. In contrast, the New England cottontail rarely ventures far from the safety of dense shrubland cover. It is difficult to distinguish a NEC from an eastern cottontail by looking at them. However, DNA analysis of fecal pellets or tissue samples can be used for a positive identification. Today, there are more eastern cottontails than the native NEC, which now occurs in less than a fifth of its historic range.

An additional twelve rabbits are planned for release at Ninigret NWR later this month. This release is part of the range-wide captive breeding and translocation program supporting the New England Cottontail Conservation Strategy. Releases will continue over the next few years in order to establish a self-sustaining population on the refuge. For more information on this conservation strategy please visit https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ninigret/