A Sumatran striped rabbit, considered the rarest rabbit species in the world, has been rescued by Indonesian wildlife officials after it was unexpectedly discovered on Facebook.
This rabbit was intended for sale on Facebook by a farmer living near Kerinci Seblat National Park.
The rarest rabbit in the world.
This vulnerable species is only known from a handful of specimens collected in the early 20th century, which are currently housed in a museum in the Netherlands. Since then, they have only been occasionally spotted in the wild.
They are so rare that when one appeared on Facebook, the conservation community and officials from Kerinci Seblat National Park on the island of Sumatra quickly tracked down the seller and rescued this invaluable animal.
A farmer had captured the animal at the edge of the park, next to a river that had recently experienced severe flooding. The rabbit had minor injuries to its side, possibly due to the flash floods.
Deborah Martyr, program manager from Fauna & Flora International (FFI), who advises the park’s Tiger Protection & Conservation Units, stated that this unexpected opportunity has significant scientific implications.
Officials from the national park explained to the farmer what he had. After learning that this rabbit was a rare species, the farmer was pleased to see it returned to the national park.
Herizal, a member of the release team, like many Indonesians, mentioned that this was the first time he had seen a striped rabbit despite patrolling deep within the national park for over eight years.
He said: “Releasing animals back into the wild is always good – and this is much less stressful than releasing a tiger. We let it go, and it looked around – and then started eating leaves. It seemed very comfortable.”
Tamen Sitorus, the national park director, expressed pride in his staff for working professionally and returning the rabbit to the park.
The Sumatran striped rabbit has an undetermined population, but this rabbit species is extremely rare. The first photograph of this species in the wild was taken in 1997. Since then, the rabbit has only been photographed a few times.
