Cottontail

We have lots of rabbits in the village, and all over the island. They seem to increase in number every year. They are called cottontails. They are often claimed to be escapees from a domestic breed, but that is not really clear, because the genus is native to North America. The common species, the Eastern Cottontail, is introduced to the West Coast by humans who wanted to hunt them. As usual, this proved to be unwise. Now they are invasive, and threaten the ecosystem. They can also carry diseases. So they are, in fact, a pest. But they are cute to look at.