Decline of Washington’s pygmy rabbits was due to incompetence and grazing

Recently, I reported on the reintroduction of Washington State’s pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) population. But how did the rabbits decline in the first place? After all, despite the comeback of pygmy rabbits in Washington, full blooded Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits (the original population) are not part of that comeback. Instead, the rabbits were bred with nearby relatives to create hybrid rabbits that have been reintroduced.  After the original article was published, I was contacted by Steven Herman, a biologist who worked on early recovery efforts of …