Agency rules survival of pygmy rabbit not threatened

The tiny pygmy rabbit does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, a federal agency said Wednesday in its latest ruling against the creature.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that while there are pressures to the rabbit’s habitat, it is not enough to threaten the survival of the species. The pygmy rabbit is the smallest in North America, growing between 9 and 12 inches in length.

“We find there has been some loss and degradation of pygmy rabbit habitat range-wide, but not to the magnitude that constitutes a significant threat to the species,” said Bob Williams, of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “The comparison of available historical and current data indicates that pygmy rabbits seem to occur in a similar distribution pattern, and they have been documented as occurring in new locations.”

The agency considered protecting the rabbit in the states of California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. One branch of the species, the Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment in Eastern Washington, was listed as endangered in 2003. Scientists at Washington State University have for years been breeding and releasing pygmy rabbits in an effort to re-establish a population. Many have been devoured by predators.