Rabbits Abound!

Has anyone else noticed the abundance of Jack Rabbits running around this season? For the past couple of years, I would see maybe two on average in any given week no matter what area of the city I was in. I have even had one that had hung around my yard for most of the winter. A couple of times, I found him taking refuge under my office window (my office is in the basement). But this season, I have counted about seven of these rabbits running around, just in my neighbourhood at almost any given time. I've noticed an explosion of them in many other areas as well.

And with that, all of these rabbits have brought with them another menace, especially in residential neighbourhoods.

Coyotes!

I was working in the subdivision of Greisbach a few weeks ago and actually had a coyote approach me as if it were just someone's pet. At first, I was a little confused and thought that maybe I was mistaking someone's pet for a wild dog. When I realized I was wrong, I made sure to keep my distance from him. This didn't deter him from wandering around the subdivision freaking out parents who were taking their little ones for walks in the parks and such. This coyote had absolutely no fear of anyone. A few residents in the area took to chasing him away with brooms or any other type of garden implement they could grab quickly. Eventually though, Fish and Wildlife showed up and that was the last we saw of him.

I suspect that this event will only be the beginning of a bigger problem this season. If you are out and about in any of this city's amazing parks, keep an extra vigilant eye out for predators who have been drawn to the city in search of rabbits.

Here is a little information about the Jack Rabbits: White-tailed jackrabbits or prairie hares are found throughout the prairies, parkland and cultivated regions of Alberta. Jackrabbits prefer an open habitat because they depend on their running speed for protection from enemies.

Adults may weigh as much as 3.5 kg each. The fur color of prairie hares changes from brownish grey in the summer to white in the winter. An average of four young are born per litter, and one or two litters are raised every year.

I have included a picture I snapped of the coyote I encountered. He appears farther away in the photo than he really was because I took the picture with my phone camera.