Research Underway to Protect Vulnerable Appalachian Cottontails from Habitat Loss and Disease

Research is underway to protect a rare mountain rabbit that could be at risk from the loss of habitat and the threat of a deadly disease. Wildlife leaders list Appalachian cottontails, which live in the high elevations, as vulnerable. They want to find out if fewer spruce fir forests, the rabbit’s preferred habitat, is a factor and if that is contributing to overlap with the more prevalent Eastern cottontails, which they said could lead to competition, crossbreeding, and disease transmission.

“When you’re talking about a population of a species, you want a high level of genetic diversity so that the species can be resilient genetically,” said Andrea Shipley, a mammalogist with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is organizing a study with Tangled Bank Conservation in Asheville to determine the impacts that could threaten the cottontails’ survival.

The study could include whether rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHDV2), a highly infectious virus, has arrived in the region. The study results will help create management recommendations to conserve Appalachian cottontails, prevent crossbreeding between Eastern and Appalachian cottontails, and reduce the risk of disease entering their populations.

Efforts are aimed at safeguarding the habitat of the Appalachian cottontails to ensure their sustainability in the face of environmental challenges. By understanding the potential threats and developing targeted conservation strategies, researchers hope to secure the future of these vulnerable mountain rabbits.