WYOMING — A petition filed in 2023 to list pygmy rabbits under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is currently under review as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is monitoring their distribution and population status on a five-year cycle.
In addition to their federally petitioned status, pygmy rabbits are listed as a “species of greatest conservation need” in Wyoming’s State Wildlife Action Plan. According to the WGFD, the next round of range-wide surveys of pygmy rabbits will be conducted next winter, January to March 2026.
WGFD Nongame Mammal Biologist Dana Nelson also tells Buckrail that the WGFD has also funded a research project in Dr. Anna Chalfoun’s lab at the University of Wyoming that will examine pygmy rabbit habitat and climatic associations.
“Because pygmy rabbits rely on sagebrush for food, protection from predators and thermal cover, they are at risk of habitat loss and fragmentation due to the many stressors affecting sagebrush ecosystems,” Nelson says.
Additionally, Nelson tells Buckrail that a fatal and highly contagious rabbit hemorrhagic disease known as RHDV2 has been detected within pygmy rabbit range.
“Whether the species is federally listed, we remain committed to understanding their population status in Wyoming,” Nelson says.
As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is undergoing a review of the petition filed in March 2023, Nelson says the WGFD anticipates hearing their decision in 2028 based on discussions between the two organizations.
