Washington State Launches Drone Surveillance to Protect Endangered Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has embarked on a high-tech mission to conserve one of North America’s tiniest rabbits—the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit—through the use of drones. According to details shared by the

WDFW

, these drones will soar across state and federal lands, as well as select private properties given the nod by landowners, in Grant and Douglas counties. Sticking to the script of FAA regulations, these flights will take place within the daylight span of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., coalescing with WDFW’s existing field surveys, and span from December to October 2026. However, all flights will remain at the mercy of Mother Nature and suitable flying conditions.

Their goal is to evaluate how effective these unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with special sensors are in tracking the distribution and numbers of the pygmy rabbits, particularly against the stark canvas of snow, as reported by the

WDFW

. This will mark another chapter in the department’s ongoing efforts to monitor the success rate of reintroduced rabbits, as documented on WDFW’s pygmy rabbit page. The imagery collected from these drone flights promises to offer a safer and potentially more time-efficient alternative to the on-the-ground techniques currently employed.

The plight of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit is indeed grave, designated under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as threatened due to the loss and splitting up of its natural shrubsteppe habitats. WDFW’s dedicated reintroduction scheme that consolidates semi-wild breeding enclosures for juvenile production is key in bolstering populations intended for release into environments where rabbits can thrive. Dense vegetation corridors prove crucial, these pathways link critical habitats, giving these mini mammals a fighting chance to crisscross their domains unharmed, as per

WDFW

.

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