MAINE PUBLIC • January 2, 2025
The New England cottontail was once a common rabbit in southern and coastal Maine, ranging from Kittery to Belfast. But the population has declined dramatically over the years due to habitat loss, as old fields reverted into forests and shrubland was developed into residential areas. Maine stopped issuing licenses to hunt New England cottontails in 2004, and added it to the endangered species list in 2007. The rabbits' numbers have dropped to dangerously low levels in other New England states too. Now, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is asking the public to report sightings of the cottontail through an online portal on its website.