Sometimes there can too much of a good thing, even cute little bunny rabbits.
This year’s wet weather has brought on an explosion in the population of cottontail rabbits. Wyoming Game and Fish biologist Steve Tessmann says lots of grass means more for rabbits to eat and hide in. But he says an increase in prey is often followed by an increase in predators.
“There’s usually a lag time between when prey populations increase and predator population follow,” he says. “I would predict that you’ll start seeing some of those predator populations following that and increasing as well. So things like fox and eagles, various raptors that prey on rabbits.”
We used to say the desert moves at night because there was so many rabbits out there.
He says when he moved to Wyoming in the early 1980’s it was even worse.
“We used to say the desert moves at night because there was so many rabbits out there, back in the early 80’s. So this is just another boom cycle and it’s normal and it’s at a point, not too far down the road, we’ll see another crash.”
Tessmann says at their most fertile, one rabbit can produce seven litters a year and as many as 12 kits per litter. He says rabbits do carry disease, like plague. That’s why he warns they should not be handled and people should attempt to fence them out of their yards. Tessmann says rabbit hunting season starts in September and until then should be removed using live traps.