Easter mystery of lost rabbits
Source: Agencies |
April 4, 2010, Sunday
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Print Edition
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IF anyone knows why the bunnies have disappeared from New York's Central Park, wildlife officials are all ears.
Though abandoned pet rabbits perennially turn up after each Easter in what's affectionately called New York's backyard, a wild cottontail hasn't been spotted in the park for about four years.
"I've been here for 17 years, and there were not many when I got here," said Regina Alvarez, director of horticulture for the Central Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that manages the huge Manhattan park. "But I would see them once in a while."
No other New York park has seen a decline in wild rabbits, said Sarah Aucoin, director of Urban Park Rangers for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
Cottontails seek habitats with lots of food sources and thick brush for protection, so it's possible there are still some hiding out. No one introduced the rabbits, which have been living there since well before the park was established 161 years ago.
Because bunnies "mate like rabbits," if there are still a few, "we'll see an increase, definitely," Aucoin said. "Only time will tell."
The bunnies are especially vulnerable to weather, predators and automobiles - all features of the park, said Alan Hicks, a state wildlife biologist.
Though abandoned pet rabbits perennially turn up after each Easter in what's affectionately called New York's backyard, a wild cottontail hasn't been spotted in the park for about four years.
"I've been here for 17 years, and there were not many when I got here," said Regina Alvarez, director of horticulture for the Central Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that manages the huge Manhattan park. "But I would see them once in a while."
No other New York park has seen a decline in wild rabbits, said Sarah Aucoin, director of Urban Park Rangers for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
Cottontails seek habitats with lots of food sources and thick brush for protection, so it's possible there are still some hiding out. No one introduced the rabbits, which have been living there since well before the park was established 161 years ago.
Because bunnies "mate like rabbits," if there are still a few, "we'll see an increase, definitely," Aucoin said. "Only time will tell."
The bunnies are especially vulnerable to weather, predators and automobiles - all features of the park, said Alan Hicks, a state wildlife biologist.
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