Zoöp Observations: Rabbit tracks and traces
12 February 2023
For month I didn't find any fresh rabbit droppings in De Nieuwe Tuin, let alone spot any rabbits.
When reconstruction of the Jongkindstraat started in September last year, bulldozers and other heavy equipment started appearing in the street. The rabbits that live in the villa gardens opposite of De Nieuwe Tuin immediately stopped crossing over to the grasslands of De Nieuwe Tuin; apparently foraging there had become too risky. However, Now that the work is largely complete, it seems that the rabbits are back. I haven't found any droppings yet, but traces of dug burrows all the more.
At first I thought the holes came from a dog that is being walked here regularly (against the rules). After what I saw today, I no longer consider it plausible. I discovered about thirty holes ranging from 5 to 20 cm deep on either side of the gravel path running through De Nieuwe Tuin. In the vicinity of some of those holes I also found tufts of white fur. The hairs were much too fine and fluffy to have come from a dog. Rabbit fur, I realized, from specimens that have begun to shed their thick winter coat for a less warm spring coat.
The frenetic digging is likely to be induced by the turn of the season. As soon as the frost is gone, the time comes to create new burrows and nurseries. No doubt the sandy top layer along the sloping path of De Nieuwe Tuin looks very promising for rabbits. When digging, unfortunately, they inevitably come across the deeper clay soil. So they start digging again somewhere else. Today I filled up the deepest holes with a rake - and while doing this took the opportunity to sow these spots with alsike clover, dill and poppy.
And verily, today I found a lot of fresh rabbit droppings on the grassland, and quite a few traces of burrow digging as well. While filling up the holes I seeded them with yellow mustard, lupine and allium. Presumably the rabbits visit the grassland only between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. During the day, seven temporary parking spaces provide a solid barrier to crossing over.
Artist Frank Bruggeman, in collaboration with researcher and author Peter Zwaal, describes what he sees happening in The New Garden since spring 2022, when the Nieuwe Instituut officially became a zoop. In small vignettes, he outlines the dynamics between plants, animals, walkers, staff and other human and other-than-human presences in the outdoor space around the institute. From the return of the moorhen to the unexpected introduction of the cherry tomato.
Read other observations