PHYS.ORG • October 6, 2025
Fifteen young New England cottontail rabbits born at a New York City zoo have been released into the wild in Maine as part of an effort to save the only rabbit species native to New England from disappearing. Six of the rabbits were released at Fort Foster Park in Kittery, Maine, while four others were set free at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge nearby. Another five were introduced on Thacher Island, off the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts. The species has suffered from habitat loss as forests and shrub lands were cleared for development. It also faces competition from the eastern cottontail, a species that is better at surviving in fragmented or open landscapes, researchers said.