PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 3, 2026
Social media posts from the past couple years talk of bunnies in Portland, eliciting speculation — and misinformation — about why they seem to be all over the city all of a sudden. Although most people are tickled to see the buck-toothed balls of fluff that we associate with spring (and Easter, specifically), the truth is that those spotted around Portland are invasive, non-native eastern cottontails. Not only do they nibble on gardens, they pose a threat to the nearly identical New England cottontail, whose endangered population conservationists have been working to restore. The non-native eastern cottontails have the edge in survivability. Over time, they’ll overtake the native New England cottontail population. ~ Leslie Bridgers