Monday, November 22, 2010

The Riverine Rabbit

When Animal Tails added the Riverine Rabbit to their collection of endangered species, my first thought was "how adorable". Then, my second thought was "I can't imagine any rabbit being endangered". I, of course, was limited in my history of rabbits living in the middle of America. ("Pesky rabbits!")

Then I read about the Riverine Rabbit's plight.

They only live in one place in the whole world; Cape Province of South Africa. Would you believe there are only about 250 left in the wild? That puts them in the critically endangered group.
As with so many other endangered animals, one of the main reasons for their dwindling numbers is lost of habitat. So much of the dense marshes by the rivers are being converted to agriculture. Another reason, unlike most rabbits, these little guys only have 1 to 2 offspring a year; nothing like our home grown.

So, my hat's off to Animal Tails for bringing the Riverine Rabbit into the spotlight. And another tip of the hat to the South Africa's farmers that are using conservation practices on their land to help enable these beautiful little animals to survive. Thank you.

Check out the Riverine Rabbit design at http://www.rubij.com/. They're on the rompers, blankets, hats and t-shirts. The rompers and t-shirts are the current "Special of the Day".

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