New England Cottontail
New England cottontails, the region's only native rabbit, have been released to a rabbit sanctuary on Patience Island off the coast of Warwick, Rhode Island. The rare rabbits started their journey to the island at the Roger Williams Park Zoo where they were bred in captivity. They then spent time in "hardening pens" at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge before making their final stop. The goal is to one day use these rabbits, or their kin, to bolster New England Cottontail populations or re-introduce them across their historic range.
Credit: Tom Barnes / USFWS. Original public domain image from Flickr