When we moved here 12 years ago we saw rabbits everywhere. Since we had no garden they posed no problem for us. The fat hawks and owls seemed to enjoy them too.
The previous owner had taken a liking to rabbits and had purchased a dozen. After a while he had a lot more rabbits and decided to give them their freedom. My next door neighbor had a horse and barn at the time. The rabbits moved into the barn and started making burrows everywhere and sharing the horse’s food. This upset the neighbor and the horse.
They decided to get rid of the rabbits and so they sold off what they could catch. The neighbor claims some got free and mated with the wild rabbits. Maybe.
Over time with a local community of feral cats and dogs and the skill of the owls, hawks and foxes the population dwindled. We hadn’t seen a rabbit in years.
Yesterday we saw our first one in a long time. This one was was really small so I assume it was a baby. The identification is tenuous so if someone knows for sure please correct me.
Young
We saw a rabbit today in Chicago…the first one I’ve seen in a long time. Quite a coincidence.
Nathan missed the sighting but will be on the lookout for the next one.