Overpopulation of Jack Rabbits Causing Problems for Idaho Farmers

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Local 8 News reports: 

Blake Skidmore, who is a farmer in Jefferson County, said he and his neighbors are losing money on haystacks that the rabbits are eating.

“It's been a long, hard winter, and early in the winter we had a lot of rabbits flopping around all the haystacks,” Skidmore said.

Skidmore and others have been protecting their haystacks by surrounding them with straw in order to keep the rabbits from eating them.

“We've also had to shoot them. We need to do something to get them away,” Skidmore said.

According to Capital Press (http://bit.ly/2lQlEpp) State wildlife officials say jackrabbit population cycles peak every decade or so, and an excessive regional population this season has been coupled with dense snow cover restricting their access to forage. When left unchecked, jackrabbits chew through the bases of the hay stacks, causing some to tip over or spill when the twine is severed, making bales difficult to load. Damage can add up to thousands of dollars.

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Source:  Local 8 News and Capital Press

 

 

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Luis

Jackrabbits are a precious native animal that evolved with their ecosystems over millions of years long before humans existed. Therefore, they are not and cannot be a “pest”. However, we, humans and our domesticated animals are the invasive species the true pests wrecking ecosystems like sagebrush and prairie and even making weather extremes like the dustbowl storms and catastrophic wildfires. We leave them nothing, and now whine that they eat “our” “crops” (more invasive species) so our response is to… kill them? Wow 😯 ! We are so wrong.

Mike

Jackrabbits are not native to this country and were brought here from Australia as food and to hunt in this country. They are a pest and vermin and should be treated as such. Anyone would know this except Luis.

Luis

Really? You really know nothing of these animals. Jackrabbits are hares of the genus Lepus. The black tailed jackrabbits are Lepus californicus CALIFORNIA DESERT HARE. CALIFORNIA IS IN NORTH AMERICA NOT IN AUSTRALIA. These animals are what keeps fires from burning too hot and out of control. Their deaths are why you’re burning.

norm

Walk the Boise front covered in sage you will not see any jack rabbits anymore

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