Our usual fare has been somewhat grim with conflict between humans and monkeys and tigers and wolves predominating so today we talk about a more pleasant mystery – how a bunny appears to have infiltrated one of the most secure buildings in the world – the Pentagon.
Observers have spotted a rabbit where none is supposed to be – the 5.1 acre inner courtyard of the Pentagon and it is unclear how it got there.
If its name is Bugs then it might have become lost on its way to Pismo Beach making a wrong turn at Albuquerque, as in the Warner Bros. cartoons. In keeping with the mystery the Pentagon will not officially acknowledge the plucky lagomorph exists.
There is some thought it was accidentally airlifted. The theory is that it was actually captured by a hawk and dropped before it could be fed to its young. But the rabbit doesn’t appear injured in the videos so far seen, and hawks have sharp- claws. There are 25 or so species of hawks in the United States and each state has several species so the identity of the purported airlifter is unknown and local hawks are not commenting. There are 7 types of hawks in Virginia and the Rough-legged and the Red-tailed are the biggest, and thus likeliest suspects.
The animal in question may have found a safe haven to live out its life, if it can avoid the hawk that allegedly dropped it. The rabbit is probably an eastern cottontail, which tops out at about 3 pounds, a perfect size meal for a long list of predators. Even Wile E. Coyote should find it very difficult to find his way into the Pentagon. The Pentagon replaced the old War Department and was completed in 1943 during World War Two. Named for its distinctive shape it contains about 3.7 million feet of office space. It is about 71 feet tall and is considered the largest one-story office building in the world.
The list of predators who should be stymied includes foxes, bobcats, domestic dogs and cats and several unexpected predators such as crows and skunks. Coyotes and weasels are also on the list. Human hunters take a share too. Hawks and owls are threats even in the Pentagon courtyard. Estimates are that 80 percent of adult rabbits are killed each year. The only counter the rabbits have is fecundity. doe (female) rabbits can produce up to 7 litters of up to six babies a year. They fall pregnant almost immediately after giving birth. Perhaps half of the babies survive the three weeks to self-sufficiency. Here’s hoping at least one rabbit will beat the odds.
