Rebuilding a wild rabbit population

Question
My wife is a real "tree hugger" and recentgly rescued and raised a tiny wild rabbit about to be killed by a dog running in our yaer. It survived (through heroic care on her part) and escaped back into the wild through a hole it made in a screened door. We have never seen any other rabbits sincethen and want to build a rabbit sanctuary/habitat on out 24 acre home in Weakley County, Tn. We have planted Timothy and fescue, limed the place and built 6 rabbit fortresses out of railroad ties and plywood. There will be no hunting or chasing the rabbits with dogs or anything else. What else can we do to encourage the restoration of our beloved rabbit neighbors? D

Answer
Dear Steve,

You are the coolest.  :)

Well, since you have the habitat in place, the next thing to do is establish a population of rabbits.  Be sure the area is well fenced against predators.  A very small rabbit population can be wiped out relatively quickly if they are not protected long enough to get a good lay of the land and know where safe havens are.

For a source of wild cotties, I would recommend that you contact your local wildlife rehabilitator via the directory here:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

I know from personal experience that it is incredibly difficult to find a good, safe sanctuary where wild rabbits can be safely released and expected to life a long life.  A local rescuer would be thrilled to know about the fantastic resource you have provided!

If the area is fenced so that rabbits can pretty much stay in and not get out, then there may also be the chance that you could provide sanctuary for disabled cottontails that cannot be released into a completely wild area.  You might consider creating a smaller sanctuary area for them that's natural, but a little more protected.  Boy, do I ever know of a lot of rescuers who would bless you for being able to take in such little guys!

I hope this helps for starters.  If you have more questions about this, please either write back here, or directly to me at dana@miami.edu

Good luck with your fantastic project!

Take care,
Dana