Where introduced, the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus is considered among the most destructive and invasive species. To date, research focused mostly on populations of wild rabbit, whereas little is known on feral domestic rabbit populations. In this work, we reported the establishment of two self-sustaining populations of feral rabbits in Italy. Direct observations were conducted to assess rabbit range expansion and population increase over time. We also evaluated prey-predator interactions between rabbits and native red foxes Vulpes vulpes, by means of camera trapping and the analysis of fox scats. Moreover, we also assessed the social perception towards feral rabbits and the acceptability of various management options through the administration of a structured questionnaire to park visitors. Rabbit populations increased between 2018 and 2019, as well as the size of the invaded range. Rabbits are predated by foxes, but they seem to have adapted their activity rhythms to minimize the risk of predation, becoming diurnal. Park visitors loved rabbits and deemed them to be a positive presence in the park, which deserve to live there. Surgical sterilization of rabbits was the only management option which was partially supported. Feral domestic rabbits, albeit a neglected species in invasion biology, can become extremely successful invaders of urban green areas: in < 5 years, rabbits were able to colonize our study area and become a food resource for native predators and also an iconic species. These three points raise concerns about the potential impacts of invasive feral rabbits in European urban green areas and call for further research in this direction.

在引入的地方，欧洲兔Oryctolagus cuniculus被认为是最具破坏性和入侵性的物种之一。迄今为止，研究主要集中在野兔种群上，而对野生家兔种群知之甚少。在这项工作中，我们报告了在意大利建立了两个自给自足的野兔种群。进行了直接观察以评估兔子的范围扩大和种群随时间的增加。我们还评估了兔子和本地红狐Vulpes vulpes之间的猎物-捕食者相互作用，通过相机诱捕和狐狸粪便分析。此外，我们还通过对公园游客进行结构化问卷调查，评估了社会对野兔的看法和各种管理方案的可接受性。兔子数量在 2018 年至 2019 年间有所增加，入侵范围也有所增加。兔子被狐狸捕食，但它们似乎已经调整了自己的活动节奏，以尽量减少捕食的风险，成为昼夜活动。公园游客喜欢兔子，认为它们是公园里的积极存在，值得住在那里。兔子的手术绝育是唯一得到部分支持的管理选择。野生家兔虽然在入侵生物学中是一个被忽视的物种，但可以成为城市绿地的极其成功的入侵者：在 <5 年内，兔子能够在我们的研究区域定居，成为本地捕食者的食物资源，也是标志性物种。这三点引起了人们对侵入性野兔在欧洲城市绿地的潜在影响的担忧，并呼吁在这方面进行进一步研究。