Bunny update

Back in June I wrote about an Oregon zoo's program to save the endangered pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis.

So far, so good. The captive breeding program was a success and some of the rabbits have been released into the wild.

On Tuesday, March 13, 20 endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits raised at the Oregon Zoo were released into the wild near Ephrata, Wash. The rabbits were released at the entrances of artificial burrows, which had been placed prior to their arrival.

Story here.

Related: zoos rescuing amphibians at Dirty John Bonny here.

I think there's an interesting story to be told of the history of zoos, from the menageries of ancient Rome and the middle ages, maintained purely for entertainment, to the modern institutions that are up to their elbows in research and preservation of natural wonders - not as exhibits, but for their own blessed sake.