By Tim Binnall
Wildlife conservationists managed to rescue an incredibly rare Sumatran striped rabbit that had been showcased in a Facebook post by a farmer in Indonesia who was trying to sell the unique-looking creature. Considered to be the world's rarest rabbit, the remarkable animal has reportedly only been observed or photographed in the wild on a handful of occasions and the only physical specimens of the diminutive forest dweller date back nearly a century. As such, experts were understandably astounded when pictures of the elusive lagomorph popped up on social media. Word of the surprising Facebook post quickly spread throughout the conservationist community, which set about trying to save the rabbit from an uncertain fate.
The organization Fauna & Flora International connected with the Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra and they were fortunate enough to locate the individual behind the Facebook post while he was still in possession of the creature. They subsequently learned that the animal had been captured by a farmer who spotted it near the national park on the banks of a river that had just rapidly overflowed due to a flash flood. Likely because of that event, the creature had sustained an injury to its leg, which apparently made it easy to catch. Not realizing that he had gotten his hands on such an incredibly rare creature, the farmer posted photos of the animal on social media in the hopes of selling his fortuitous find.
Thankfully, upon learning of the precious nature of the animal, the farmer turned it over to the Kerinci Seblat National Park, where staff at the site nursed it back to health. Once the creature was back at full strength, scientists at the park took samples for future study and then released it back into the wild in an area that is believed to be the Sumatran striped rabbit's natural habitat. Experts hope that the newly obtained insights from the inadvertently captured creature will help them to learn more about the animal, which has proven to be rather mysterious since first being discovered back around 25 years ago.