The Buck Stops Here?

The British can't make their minds up about European rabbits. The 'bunny' is not a native UK species. Rabbits were introduced in the Norman invasion (1066), as a food item. The species re-wilded itself, thrived and eventually became the farmer's public enemy number one. Rabbits were shot, trapped and hunted with ferrets. They were also deliberately infected with myxomatosis, with a view to wiping the species out in Britain. Although UK rabbit populations eventually became immune to myxomatosis, numbers have been subsequently decimated by other infections including haemorrhagic disease virus type 2. British bunny conservation suddenly, however, appears to be in vogue in some circles (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/28/hope-rabbit-hotels-can-help-britains-decimated-population-bounce-back). Rabbits are obsessive burrowers and this activity, as well as their grazing, 'helps' a number of endangered species of animals and plants. The lottery-funded Shifting Sands project aims to improve the biodiversity of the East Anglian Brecks (a dune system). One of the things planned, is the creation of 'rabbit hotels'. These are simply piles of branches near existing warrens (rabbit burrow systems). The branches should offer protection from aerial and terrestrial predators. They are also intended to provide cover for female rabbits, allowing them to safely burrow prior to giving birth. It is hoped that the 'hotels' will boost rabbit numbers and increase their activity on the Brecks. Suddenly, rabbits are valued 'ecological engineers'.