The West Coast is home to several feral rabbit colonies. It has actually grown quite out of control in many parts of Oregon and Washington. Rabbit Advocates is an all-volunteer, non-profit rabbit rescue serving the Portland, OR metro area as well as Vancouver, WA across the water.
I talked with Nathaniel Riggle, a volunteer who joined Rabbit Advocates after he adopted his own rabbit back in 2018. He has specifically worked with the rescue team for over two years, helping with nearly two dozen rescue operations during that time. He has extensive knowledge about the history of some of the local feral colonies.
Rabbit Advocates rely on volunteer fosters to house their rescued rabbits. This, unfortunately, limits how many rabbits they can pull off the street. Another obstacle in rescuing feral rabbits comes from the homeowners of the property these rabbits are living on. The residents can effectively block rescuers from going on their property to reach these rabbits. Thus, a large part of the job is talking with residents and educating them about the needs of these domestic rabbits.
Milwaukie, a city in Portland, was the site of the first confirmed case in Oregon of the RHDV2 virus back in March 2021. It is also the site of one of the largest feral rabbit colonies in Oregon. At one point, rescuers estimated the population at nearly 200. Unfortunately, because of a lack of cooperation from the neighbourhood, rescuers were refused entry until it was too late. The horrible ice storm in February 2021 finally caused residents to call in rescuers. It was then that the RHDV2 virus was discovered in the area. The virus appears to have decimated the population, with rescuers estimating the loss of 90% of the population. Because of its highly contagious nature and ability to spread across species, rescuers are now forbidden from rescuing rabbits suspected to be infected.
A more recent colony can be found in Vancouver, WA. Residents were much more welcoming towards rescuers and a partnership was formed with the local Humane Society. In Fall 2021, about 10-12 rabbits were rescued, spayed/neutered, and sent for adoption. Unfortunately, at the present time, rescue efforts have been halted as neither the Humane Society nor Rabbit Advocates have any available fosters to take in the rabbits. Within about a 20-block radius, there are still over 20 feral rabbits visible today.
There are also some great tales of success. If a feral colony is discovered quick enough, rabbits can be rescued and brought in before the population can grow out of proportion. Volunteers successfully rescued 2-4 rabbits at a different location in Vancouver, thus managing to keep an unmanageable colony from forming. Similarly, in another part of Portland, volunteers rescued 11-12 Flemish giants more than a month ago. This appears to have prevented a new colony from getting established, possibly from an escaped pet or from purposeful dumping.
Rabbit Advocates volunteers run a 24-hour rabbit hotline where people can call in their sightings; they also have the option to submit a more detailed form online. The rescue gets many requests per week, with volunteers and fosters doing what they can. In 2021, Rabbit Advocates volunteers rescued 159 rabbits and adopted out about 100 rabbits. Clearly, there is a higher demand for rescuers and fosters, which is still outpacing adoption rates. In the meantime, Rabbit Advocates continues its valiant efforts at helping the most rabbits that they can.
How You Can Help:
You can support Rabbit Advocates if you are local to the area by participating in their many outreach programs. They host a program called Bottles for Bunnies, where people can collect plastic bottles and donate them to the organization for recycling. They have another program called “Bunny’s Best Bites” hay, where volunteers box locally grown hay and sell it to rabbit owners. Rabbit Advocates also hosts adoption outreach events every first Saturday of the month as well as vaccination pop-up clinics. If you are not local, you can still support Rabbit Advocates by donating or visiting their online shop!
Article written by:
Amanda Puitiza
Amanda Puitiza is a Peruvian American with a Master’s in Animal Behaviour and Conservation. Her career goals are to partner with others and use inter-disciplinary methods to help with the conservation of species in need. She has had and worked with rabbits for most of her life. When she is not enjoying time with animals, she can often be found reading or creating music.
