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BLUFFDALE — Dozens of new neighbors have moved into a Bluffdale neighborhood, and they may cause a problem.
About a week-and-a-half ago, Liz Chesnut noticed a jackrabbit running across the road as she left her neighborhood.
She noticed one or two more the next day, and soon, about 70 jackrabbits or more occupied a nearby field at about 4000 West and 14170 South.
Chesnut has come across the critters in the evening. She said some come out just before dark and even more come out after dark. One of her other neighbors hasn't noticed them.
"I guess if you're not driving around at night, you may not know that they're there," Chesnut said.
She said she has never seen a jackrabbit in the neighborhood in the 6 1/2 years she's lived there. Her main concern is for her yard.
She recently did a lot of landscaping and has new trees she's trying to keep her eye on. She plans to have more landscaping done when the weather clears and doesn't want it all to become undone immediately.
Chesnut said the field they've occupied has alfalfa in it, and she thinks that is what they could be after.
Brook Zscheile, wildlife disease biologist with the USDA Wildlife Services, said they haven't received reports of the jackrabbits in Bluffdale, but the animals have a cyclic breeding pattern and sometimes boom and bust.
As far as how long they may stay, Zscheile said it depends on food sources and the habitat they are in.
USDA Wildlife Services offers technical assistance on a case-by-case basis for residents. Zscheile said each scenario may require a different method to relieve the damage.
If residents have fresh starts in their gardens, that is going to be an attractive food source, Zscheile said.
Anyone experiencing a problem with jackrabbits can call the USDA Wildlife Services at 801-975-3315.
