COLONIES of horned rabbits, previously thought to have been made extinct by hunters, have been found in Wyoming.
Nicknamed jackalopes because they resemble a cross between jack rabbits and antelopes, they are breeding and flourishing in true rabbit style.
In Europe, where jackalopes were known by the German word Raurackl, they were wiped out in the 17th century.
Their American cousins are believed to be descended from a breeding pair taken across the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower in 1620. Jackalopes are prized as food because their flesh tastes like a cross between venison and hare.  As a result they were so heavily hunted in the US that they were considered extinct.
Their comeback is now under threat. Despite protests from environmentalists, jackalope hunts have started again.  Gourmet restaurants are clamouring for jackalope supplies.
An appeal to President Bush to outlaw the hunts is being vigorously opposed by the National Rifle Association, which is sometimes confused with the National Redneck  Association, a front for the Aryan Brotherhood.

0000Hare today ... gone tomorrow?


00Threat from gunsights and appetites
  
More information is available at:

• Mythical jackalope
• Jackalope pictures
• Wyoming habitat

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