No, not those Playboy bunnies. Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, a marsh rabbit subspecies named for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, has been on the endangered species list since 1990. Current estimates claim that there are only 300 of the rabbits left in the wild. The rabbits live in an island environment and feed on specific grasses and plants. Human encroachment has resulted in habitat loss and deaths by domestic animals and cars.

Fortunately, researchers at the University of Central Florida have stepped in to aid the rabbits.  They are researching the genetic diversity of the rabbit population. They believe that the more diverse the genetic population, the greater chance of adaptation and survival. They hope to determine the most genetically diverse group of rabbits and relocate them to an undisturbed area to foster population growth.

This subspecies of rabbit was named for Mr. Hefner when it was discovered in 1984 to honor the donations made by his organization for field research on rabbits.

For more information visit Discovery News.

Petfinder put together a list of the top 5 pet-friendly airlines in 2009.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that pet rabbits are allowed inside the cabin with you on Continental Airlines. Unfortunately, they were the only airline on the list that allowed rabbits in the cabin if on the plane at all.

Pet Airways offers a pet-only travel option as well. The cabin is climate controlled and all animals are monitored and taken care of by attendants.

For the full pet-friendly airline list, see: Petfinder.com.

Back in May we posted about Audrey taking a tour of New London. You can also read about it from the All About You Blog.

From Connecticut, the Audrey clone traveled across the country to Bow, Washington.  You can read all about her adventures in the Pacific Northwest at A Houseful of Rabbits.  Start from the beginning of her tour by clicking the following links:

June 6: Heeeer’s Audrey!!!
June 7: Audrey’s Settling In
June 8: Audrey’s Story
June 9: Audrey Takes a Road Trip
June 16: Audrey About the House

You should also check out another Audrey clone’s travels in Kuala Lumpur with the folks at Furrybutts.

May 27: Who Dat?!?
June 1: Lunch with Audrey

John Fitzgerald has recently published Bad Hare Days, an account of his days as an animal rights activist. Fitzgerald describes his non-violent protest of hare coursing in Ireland.

Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares by greyhounds, which track the hares by sight and not scent. The hares are sometimes overtaken and killed by the dogs. In the book, Fitzgerald discusses the controversy with coursing and the price he paid for standing up for his beliefs.

Buy the book here: Bad Hare Days

If you’re in the market for wallpaper featuring enormous, slightly ominous-looking toy rabbits, then the Danish company Tapetforum has just what you need. Check out their Funny Bunny wallpaper!

For the “Super Contemporary” show which opened at the Design Museum in London today, fashion designer Paul Smith and 14 other artists were commissioned to “give something back” to London.

Smith focused his project on his distaste for litter. His creation is a 5-foot green rabbit holding a trash bag. When you throw garbage in the bin, the rabbit’s ears light up.  Prototypes of his “New London Rubbish Bin” have been placed in Covent Gardens and Holland Park on a 4-month trial period.

I love the idea, and I hope these garbage bins end up all over the place.

For more info:
Design Museum
Paul Smith’s Website
Bloomberg.com
High Snobiety

As the owner of one especially mischievous rabbit, I loved the anecdote told by Joy Gioia of the Missouri House Rabbit Society in the St. Louis Suburban Journals:

Belle loved to play with decorative pillows. She once used her nose to push one from the head of the bed to the foot of the bed and onto the cat sleeping on the floor. It hit the cat, Paws, with a plop.

The bunny hopped in a way that made Joy Gioia think she enjoyed what she had done.

“I just watched an animal size up a situation, think up a joke and carry it out,” Gioia said. “I know people who don’t have that type of humor. (Bunnies) have a wicked sense of humor.”

Gioia started out as a wildlife rehabilitator who specialized in cottontails. When a park ranger brought in an injured domestic rabbit, Gioia embarked on a new journey: she became chapter leader of the House Rabbit Society of Missouri.

Now Gioia and her team of volunteers foster rabbits in their homes and educate the public about proper rabbit care.  They are holding Bunny Expo 2009 on June 7, 11am - 4pm at the Humane Society of Missouri.  The expo will feature free nail clippings, information booths, photo sessions, children’s activities, and seminars.

For more info:
Suburban Journals
Missouri House Rabbit Society

The Cracking Art Group have installed colorful rabbit sculptures at a Printemps store in Paris made of plastic water bottles that were found in landfills.  The Cracking Art Group is a collaboration among six international artists who focus on social and environmental issues.  They work largely with plastics.

For more information:
China.org.cn
Cracking Art Group

Audrey Rabbit is a house rabbit living in North London. Her mom, Carol Muskoron, is an Associate Editor at AllAboutYou.com.

When Carol began blogging about Audrey, the cashmere lop quickly became a cyber celebrity.

You can read all about Audrey’s adventures on All About You or follow her on Twitter.

Audrey wanted to learn about other parts of the world, so she sent her clone out to New London, CT in the US to visit her friends at My House Rabbit.

Come see what they got up to!

Audrey meets Cosette and Coco.

Coco, Audrey, and Cosette get close.

Audrey checks out our bunny garden.

Audrey makes a stop at the statue of John Winthrop the Younger. Winthrop founded New London in 1646 and later went on to become the governor of Connecticut.

Another view of Audrey with Governor Winthrop’s statue. John Winthrop the Younger continued the tradition of his father, who was the founding governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony.

New London’s City Hall on State Street.

A full view of City Hall.

Audrey examines Wyland’s whale mural, The Great Sperm Whales, on Eugene O’Neill Drive. Wyland has created a hundred whale murals all over the world.

Audrey poses with the statue of Eugene O’Neill as a boy. O’Neill, who spent his summers growing up in New London, used to sit by the Thames River and sketch the ships. O’Neill is the only American playwright to win a Nobel prize for literature.

Audrey takes in the view at the State Pier.

Audrey at the Customs House Maritime Museum on Bank Street. The museum focuses on New London’s rich history as a whaling and shipping port.

Audrey at the gate of the Hygienic Art Park.

Audrey takes a seat on Bank Street.

Audrey visits the New London Superior Court.

Audrey’s last stop was the Nathan Hale statue in Williams Park.  After Nathan Hale graduated from Yale, he was a school teacher in New London. He was way ahead of his time by teaching girls in 1773.

Hope you enjoyed Audrey’s tour of New London, CT!

Next stop: Bow, Washington to visit our friends at the House of Rabbits!

The Bunny Garden is coming along. We have little lettuces! Also, we must have had either squash or pumpkin seeds in the compost because we have some other sort of plant flourishing as well.  The tomato plants have seen better days, but they’d probably be completely dead if they hadn’t been covered by their little greenhouse cylinders. (Thanks for that tip, Rabbits’ Guy!)  We’ll put the tomato plants outside later in the season next year.  We’re also growing several strawberry plants.