One of the rarest species of rabbit in the world has been spotted
for only the third time in the last 35 years.
The Sumatran striped rabbit was photographed in late January on the
Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Wildlife Conservation Society
said.
The species is listed as critically endangered by the World
Conservation Union, due to loss of habitat.
The rabbit was previously photographed in 2000, with the last
sighting by a scientist back in 1972.
Habitat risk
The 30cm-long rabbit was photographed by a camera trap in Bukit
Barisan National Park, said Colin Poole, director of the Wildlife
Conservation Society's Asia Program.
The sighting also highlighted the need to protect the habitat of
the species, also known as Nesolagus netscheri, from threats such
as farming, he said.
"This rabbit is so poorly known that any proof of its continued
existence at all is great news, and confirms the conservation
importance of Sumatra's forests," Mr Poole said.
Back in 1999, researchers discovered another species of striped
rabbit in the Annamite Mountains between Laos and Vietnam, and
named it the Annamite striped rabbit.
Genetic samples revealed the species were distinct, though closely
related, most likely diverging about 8 million years ago.
The elusive rabbit is rarely captured on camera
From BBC news 
