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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2005)
Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, January 20, 2005 Zoo works to save the world’s smallest rabbits, now endangered The Oregon Zoo has re ceived $57,000 in support from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to build a conservation center for the smallest known rabbit in the world, the endangered pygmy rabbit. The agreement with WDFW will also provide appro priate staff training and veteri nary care for the pygmy rabbits. The Metro-owned facility in Clackamas County allows for the rabbits to be reared in a qui et setting, which scientists hope will boost their reproduc tive success. The new facility, located on the grounds of the Condor Creek Conservation Facility, currently houses 13 California condors, including the first con dor hatched in Oregon in more than 100 years. Now 20 pygmy rabbits also live in the off-site holding facility. The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits were listed as critically endangered in Washington in 1993. However, by 2001 this pygmy rabbit population, found only in Washington, had drasti cally plummeted to less than 40 individuals. The Oregon Zoo and the WDFW, in conjunction with Washington State Univer sity in Pullman, Wash, and Northwest Trek in Eatonville, Wash., removed 20 pygmy rab bits from the wild and began an emergency captive breeding program. These organizations are working hard to ensure the survival of this elusive species. In 2001, the Oregon Zoo be came the first zoo in the coun try to successfully breed pygmy rabbits in captivity. Zoo Director Tony Vecchio stated, “In the past, zoos have spread their conservation efforts all over the world, particularly in tropical ar eas. While these efforts have been extremely important, there has been a tendency to ignore our own backyards. At the Oregon Zoo, we feel that ef forts in our own region will prove to be the most effective way to engage our visitors and constituents in conservation ac tions.” In 2003, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits received federal endangered species status. In the winter the tiny rabbits’ diet is almost exclusively sagebrush in the wild, but they also eat grasses and herbs in the spring. At the zoo they are giv en sagebrush and rabbit pel lets, supplemented with timothy and alfalfa hay, as well as pars ley, dandelion leaves and vari ous other greens. Habitat de struction, predation, and brush fires have all contributed to the pygmy rabbits’ dwindling num bers in the wild. The new facilities have plas tic tubing that allows the rabbits to hide underground as they do in the wild. However, there is no dirt or sand in the rabbits’ im mediate area. Researchers have been concerned about the bacteria that are frequently found in these commonly used substrates. Disease transmission is high and reducing this can be a crit ical factor in keeping the pygmy rabbits healthy. In 2004, the Oregon Zoo pygmy rabbits gave birth to 28 kits. Ten of these survived. Sur vival rate in the wild is 10 to 20 percent, with most of the mor tality coming from predation once the kits reach maturity and disperse from the nest. Web visitors can see video of the rare rabbits and learn more about the zoo’s conserva tion efforts by visiting <http://w -r & S id in g !! Agricultural - Residential -Commercial - Industrial • Exposed Fastener Products 2' & 3' • No Clog Gutter Systems • Consealed Fastener Products • Purlins & Girts • Standing Seam 1*, I ’Z *, 2" • Sofet System • Braked Shapes to 26' 4* long 16 ga. max. ♦ SALE ♦ SALE ♦ 3 ' w id e. 28-ga. G A L V A N IZ E D * ! * « foot 3 ' w id e, 28-ga. OFFWHITE * ! * « foot (500 ft. minimum while supplies last) Competitive Prices - Superior Service - Premium Product Boom Truck Delivery ~ Oregon, Wash., Idaho, N. Calif. NORTH AMERICAN METALS INC. 15869 NW SELLERS RD., BANKS, OR 97106 Sales (503) 844-8688 . Toll Free 1-800-470-4660 . Fax (503) 693-1547 ww.oregonzoo.org/Newsroom/ video. htm#rabbit>. The zoo opens at 9:00 a.m. daily and is located just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX lightrail line. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive 50 centd off zoo admission. General admission is $9.50 (12-64), seniors $8 (65+), chil dren $6.50 (3-11), and infants two and under are free. A park ing fee of $1 per car is also re quired. Additional information is available at <www.oregonzo o.org> or by calling 503-226- 1561. Feral cat spay and neuter clinic will be held Sunday, February 13 The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO) will be coming to St. Helens for their annual feral cat spay and neuter clinic, a one-day spay and neuter event. Reservations are re quired. It is a multi-community clinic with volunteers and cats coming from Rainier, Scap poose, St. Helens and Warren. as young as five months, so one unaltered female cat and all of her offspring can produce more than 250,000 kittens in just seven years. During its 10-year existence, FCCO has altered more than 20,000 cats in Oregon. The Coalition is funded by private donation and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. All dona tions are appreciated, are tax deductible and can be directly sent to FCCO at P.O. Box 82734, Portland OR 97272. FCCO requests a $25.00 fee per cat to cover the surgery and medical supplies. So far, FCCO has spayed or neutered almost 400 cats in Columbia County and hopes to alter between 50-60 more cats in February. This all-day event will take place on Sunday, February 13. The location of the clinic will be disclosed when reservations FCCO is a non-profit organi are confirmed. zation dedicated to humanely Feral cats are cats that reducing the feral cat popula have been abandoned or lost, tion through spaying and neu as well as the offspring of tering. these cats. Only feral cats with For more information or to dedicated caregivers who will make donations jor reserva feed and care for them will be tions, call Laura Snyder at 503- treated. 397-3333. For volunteer oppor A cat averages two litters tunities call Barbara Calnon at each year and can reproduce 503-397-0510. V alley V eterinary C linic R abies S pecial $050 Thursdays 10 am - 5 pm 58376 Nehalem Hwy. S. Vernonia (Near Sunnyside Cafe)
