Endangered Species: Riverine Rabbit

A Riverine Rabbit in its natural environment
Source: Endangered Wildlife Trust

The Riverine Rabbit's environment
is shaded brown on the map above
Source: Wikipedia

According to Wild Screen Archive, the Riverine Rabbit is "one of the most endangered terrestrial animals in Southern Africa." They have long ears, thick fur, stubby tail, white rings around the eyes, and a unique black stripe across the cheek. Also known as the Bushman Rabbit and Bushman Hare, the Riverine Rabbit only lives in a very specific area in South Africa (shaded in brown in the picture on the right) known as the Karoo Desert. They are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), with only about 1500 left. The reason for its demise is its habitat being cleared for agriculture. Most of the rabbits' original home has been destroyed in the last half century and there's still the threat of even more of it being lost. Many conservation efforts are currently underway by both the IUCN and the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African environmental organization.

A Riverine Rabbit walking through the brush
Source: Endangered Wildlife Trust

Taxonomy: 
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Bunolagus
Species: Bunolagus Monticularis                                                                               

This particular species is the only member of the genus Bunolagus because of special traits that separate it from the other lagomorphs in the genus Lepus, but, there is still debate on what classification it should be in between taxonomists.

There are many things that you can do to help. For starters, if you see or think you saw a Riverine Rabbit, you can contact the Endangered Wildlife Trust. If you find a Riverine Rabbit carcass, please keep it refrigerated (don't freeze it) and contact the Endangered Wildlife Trust immediately. The organization needs any sample of the species that they can get for genetic analysis (but please don't kill any rabbits for this purpose). You can increase awareness about the endangered species by telling your family and friends. Of course, you can also financially support EWT by making a contribution through their GivenGain page.