Jackrabbits Vs. Cattle: Why Farmers Really Fight Hares and What Science Says
By Sophia Al-Mansoor
Social media algorithms frequently amplify bizarre wildlife footage. A blurry thumbnail showing a hare near a downed bovine carcass quickly transforms into sensational headlines about bloodthirsty lagomorphs. Biology tells a different story. Jackrabbits are strict herbivores adapted to extract maximum moisture and cellulose from sagebrush, saltbush, grasses, and broadleaf forbs.
Ecologists observe rare instances of opportunistic scavenging by snowshoe hares in deep subarctic winter conditions, where hares consume carcass meat to survive protein deficits. Black-tailed jackrabbits in the Great Basin and desert plains, however, focus on vegetative growth. The persistent idiom among multi-generational livestock producers that jackrabbits will "eat you out of cows" describes financial ruin, not carnivory. When millions of hares strip winter pastures in early spring, calves starve or lose weight, forcing ranchers into emergency herd liquidations.
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