RABBIT

Introduced - Captive Rare Breed in New Zealand

Enderby Island Rabbits are descendants of rabbits from Australia who were released onto subantarctic Enderby Island South of New Zealand in 1865. They remained there isolated for almost 130 years and evolved into the rabbit you see today.

The Department of Conservation decided to allow the island to revert to its natural state, and all introduced mammals were removed. A group of 49 Enderby Island Rabbits were taken for breeding in 1992 before the rest were destroyed.

Today there are only around 150 or so of them left, kept by rabbit enthusiasts around New Zealand, and possibly a handful in the USA also.

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ENDERBY ISLAND RABBIT

A small percentage of these rabbits are born cream in colour, a shade produced by a recessive gene.