Down the rabbit hole… | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region

Two 11-week-old New England cottontails are scooped up by Cindy Maynard, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and loaded into her car. Born at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, these rabbits are destined for Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.

After an hour drive to the refuge, the two cottontails are released into a one-acre outdoor fenced area lush with blueberry, goldenrod, northern bayberry, and poison ivy. Here, the rabbits will grow for a few more weeks before their release on nearby Patience Island, where conservationists are working to build a new population of the species.

Down the rabbit hole… | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region