Gathering of the clan

These are a few of the 36 wild European Rabbits that we saw in Drumheller, Alberta, on 4 January 2013. Four of us drove east of the city to the Badlands (land of the dinosaurs) and spent the day taking part in the annual Horseshoe Canyon/Drumheller Christmas Bird Count. Our territory was the N side of the Red Deer River, including the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology area.

The original pair of these European Rabbits must have been domesticated animals that either escaped from their owners or were let go into the wild when they were no longer wanted. For many of them, it's unfortunate that their colouring makes them so obvious in the winter time - the black, grey and brown ones are more likely than these mostly white ones to end up being prey, but I guess wildlife such as Coyotes and Hawks keep well-fed.