Pygmy rabbits breeding in Columbia Basin

SPOKANE — For the first time in a decade, the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit appears to have successfully bred in its historic range.

A litter of kits has been confirmed in a six-acre enclosure at the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area in central Washington, where conservationists are slow

ly reintroducing the tiny rabbits to the wild.

So far, 93 pygmy rabbits have been reintroduced to the Sagebrush Flat area this spring and summer, and they appear to be breeding. Until this release, there were no Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits known to be left in the wild.

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