It seems like there is only one constant on Northwestern’s campus: bunnies.
Through snow, rain, and sub-zero temperatures, the bunnies remain exactly where you expect them to be: grazing on greens all over campus. Feeding on manicured lawns and hunkering down in the shade of campus buildings, the bunnies have formed a symbiotic relationship with Evanston’s built environment.
The bunnies we often see are Eastern cottontails, a species of wild rabbit that is native to — and abundant in — Illinois. They are characterized by a brownish gray fur coat, long ears, and big eyes.
Dr. T.J. McGreevy is a research associate professor in the Natural Resources Science department at the University of Rhode Island. He studies conservation genetics and applied ecology in relation to mammals like the Eastern cottontail and the endangered New England cottontail.
T.J. MCGREEVY: So the New England cottontail is the only native cottontail species east of the Hudson River. The Eastern cottontail is an invasive species that was brought by state agencies and hunter clubs in the early 1900s.
Despite being a nonnative species in New England, the Eastern cottontail has fared much better than its endangered relative. McGreevy attributes some of their success to their subspecies diversity.
MCGREEVY: There’s about over 17 subspecies of Eastern cottontail in North America. So they brought a lot of genetic variation by having multiple different subspecies. Maybe because of that, it seems to be much more adaptable, living in very urban areas all the way up to rural areas and forested areas. So they have a wide range of adaptability.
Others have coined them “super rabbits” cause they’re just super diverse and they’ve been able to adapt to so many different environments, whereas New England cottontails haven’t gone through that process.
But these “super rabbits” aren’t immune to everything. They still face a variety of threats.
Brian Kraskiewicz is an ecologist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
BRIAN KRASKIEWICZ: The eastern cottontail is what we would call a prey species. They provide food sources for other animals such as coyotes, foxes, hawks, owls. That’s kind of their role.
These are major threats for campus bunnies. An anonymous user on the Northwestern social media forum Fizz recently posted a video of an unsuspecting baby bunny being scooped up by a bird in the sorority quad.
But living in built environments comes with some benefits.
KRASKIEWICZ: I think they do find some protection, you know, around these homes or in the neighborhoods. There may be less coyotes, less foxes, so they’re able to, you know, find some more protection that way.
In the spring, the cottontails mate and have babies, potentially making them more vulnerable to danger. McGreevy says the male rabbits face the most significant threat.
MCGREEVY: They’re more susceptible to predation cause they’re moving around. Especially the males because they’ll have larger home ranges that will overlap multiple females. And the more that you’re moving around, the more chance you’re gonna come across a predator.
As we see more baby bunnies pop up around campus, it’s tempting to consider adopting one. After all, who wouldn’t want an adorable “super rabbit” as a pet?
But McGreevy cautions against approaching wild bunnies.
MCGREEVY: They can have diseases that can be transmitted to people. One of them is Tularemia, which in the past has been fatal. Rabbits have ticks that can transmit diseases to people. There’s one that can even cause meat allergy, which is not that great if you enjoy eating meat. For the most part, I wouldn’t try to approach or handle any wildlife.
Kraskiewicz agrees.
KRASKIEWICZ: Wild animals are probably best left alone. If they feel threatened or trapped, they will react in a way that could be aggressive. Rabbits can bite and scratch you.
Marcia Coburn is the president of Chicago’s Red Door Animal Shelter, which is one of very few local shelters that rescues domesticated rabbits, in partnership with Dumped Bunny, a similar organization. She says there are important distinctions that prevent wild rabbits from being pets.
MARCIA COBURN: They’re completely different species than pet rabbits or domestic rabbits. The wild rabbits, obviously, are bred and live outside. They can’t really ever be domesticated.
Coburn says that, for many, seeing Eastern cottontails thrive in the open can result in neglectful treatment of domesticated rabbits.
COBURN: If people don’t understand there’s a difference, they might feel like, well, I see rabbits outside all the time, so why can’t I just dump my pet rabbit that I don’t want anymore outside, and it can just fend for itself and run around with these rabbits.
A pet rabbit dumped outside faces a horrible death. It’s either gonna die from exposure, it’s gonna be attacked by coyotes, hawks, all kinds of things — raccoons — or it could get parasites, which will kill it.
So, it’s a big difference and we work hard to educate people on the difference between them and I think we have been successful.
However, she says there is still plenty of confusion. In the spring, many feel compelled to bring “abandoned” wild baby cottontails to the shelter.
COBURN: People sometimes mistakenly say, oh well, I saw this nest and there’s no mom, so there must be no mom. So if they bring them to us, we say you gotta go put them back. Put them back as best you can exactly where you found them.
Mother rabbits do not hang out with their litters, unlike cats and kittens, the mother of a wild rabbit will only go to the nest once or maybe twice a day to nurse the rabbits. The rest of the time, the baby rabbits are on their own.
But if you do see a domesticated bunny in the wild, Coburn has some advice.
COBURN: Call or email or Facebook, Red Door or Dumped Bunny and let them know where the rabbit is as specifically as you can, and try to take a picture of it too. The ultimate goal is trying to get a photo and letting people who have a lot of experience know where it is so it can get saved.
And if you see a wild rabbit that is obviously injured or truly orphaned, Wildlife Illinois recommends contacting a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, such as Flintcreek Wildlife or Willowcreek Wildlife Center.
Enjoy the company of our campus bunnies, but maybe don’t get too close.
For WNUR News, I’m Supriya Akella.
[MUSIC: Woodland Bunnies by Geoff Harvey FADES OUT]
