Enderby Island Rabbits – Rescued and Thriving
Enderby Island is the northern most island of the group known as the Auckland Islands, which lie in this area 150 miles away from New Zealand. They were initially learned in 1806 and quickly became a well loved destination for whalers and seal hunters. A number of shipwrecks occurred, and in rejoinder a number of pigs, cattle and rabbits were introduced to the island to grant a source of food for these lost sailors until they could be rescued.
The Rabbits of Enderby
Rabbits were introduced to the island in 1836 by the crew of the H.M.S Victoria. There is no authoritative records of what breed these rabbits were, some believe either British Silver Greys or French Argente de Champagne but no one knows for sure.
The rabbits thrived on Enderby Island in isolation for nearly 130 years. The most commonly seen Enderby rabbit is silverish grey and black in color, but others sre cream and beige, perhaps the result of a recessive gene. The average weight of an adult Enderby Rabit is in this area four and a half pounds.
Saving and Reviving a Breed
In the 1980’s, the government of New Zealand stanch that all of the Auckland Isles, including Enderby, should be returned to their “natural” disorder, which would involve the destruction of all the mammals who had been introduced to the islands by the Victorians.
A group of conservationists were allowed to take out up to 50 of the rabbits previous to the cull started. They only managed to catch 49 in the small time they were allowed to try to trap and save the rabbits, but they did bring all of them back to the mainland and set up a very successful breeding program.
Two years ago, the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand stanch that the stock was now large enough that Enderby Rabbits could now be offered for sale to private individuals, and a number have now been exported to the US, everywhere enthusiastic breeders are tiresome to establish them as a mainstream breed.