The world, within the last few years...
...has become more and more aware of the population explosion.
We think of it in terms of human beings...
...of how many will be able to survive on Earth.
Will they have enough clean air to breathe...
...or any air, for that matter?
Will there be enough room to live in...
...and enough food to feed an ever-increasing number of mouths?
Nature, up until now, has maintained a carefully planned balance.
But conditions often change this pattern and tip scales against the plan.
This imbalance also takes place in the animal world.
This film, which our researchers have gathered together...
...was shot in Australia in 1954...
...where a plague of rabbits has been, and still is, a threat.
Rabbits so numerous they threaten man's existence...
... by devouring his crops, killing animals, and destroying property.
Has man the right to defend himself...
... against an enemy that threatens his life and property?
If so, how?
By poison? By traps?
And in so doing, what does he do to the rest of the animal and insect life...
... necessary to his existence?
Rabbits, which seem so cuddly as pets...
... can become a menace.
They were first shipped to Australia...
... hoping they'd be a valuable addition to the food supply.
Instead, they proved to be a disaster.
Rabbit drives and roundups have been called barbarous and cruel...
... but some way must be found to curb their invasion.
Australia is not the only place to have been overrun by rabbits.
All over the American West there have been similar outbreaks...
... and the same battle lines have been drawn.
Science is doing all it can to help control this population explosion.
But when this effort fails, nature's balance gets out of hand.
Right now, a new plague of rabbits has broken out in the Southwest...
... as shown in these color films just received from our news team in Arizona.
It's difficult to conceive that such an innocent, furry rabbit...
... scientifically known as Lepus...
... can be so destructive.
And as they multiply, so does their demand for food increase.
Can this population explosion be contained?
Where's Ranger, Dad?
Stepped in a rabbit hole, son. Broke his leg. I had to shoot him.
Frank, take the truck straight out about a mile and a half...
...and pick up my saddle, will you?
Mildred?
Get me President Elgin Clark at the college in Ajo.
What?
I'm sorry I snapped at you, but I got me a feud going on here.
Yeah, Elgin Clark.
I tell you, Elgin...
...these rabbits are eating me out of house and home.
Well, I've arranged to have Professor Taylor meet us in my office.
Now, wait a minute. Not that guy.
Why not? He got rid of your coyotes for you.
Well, he's just a bit too good.
I haven't heard a coyote yapping around there for over a year.
Now, that's terrific news for the rabbits, but it's lousy for me.
There's a balance to these things, Elgin.
- It's tricky. - Yeah, I know it is.
Look, there's a young couple here from the East on an exchange program.
Their name's Bennett.
They're looking for ways to control insects without killing everything else.
I have rabbits, not bugs.
There's nothing left for a bug to live on.
Well, you trust me, Cole...
...they won't go around killing everything in sight.
I'll get up to see them right away.
We've sure stirred up a lot of bats just for these few specimens.
Did you get it?
- There we go. - Okay.
Now we got this one.
- Okay, honey. I think we got enough. - Oh, all right.
- Go out here. - Yeah.
- Cute little guy, huh? - Oh, there you go.
Yeah, I think I'll put him right in there.
- Okay. - There we are.
What are you doing that for, Daddy?
I'm trying to record their sound. Now:
Here comes Mr. Clark...
...so why don't you girls go down and meet him.
Okay, okay. Our daughter expresses a precocious interest in zoology...
...and all you can say is:
Actually, your father was playing the overture from Hair.
You know how bats love Hair.
Now, you go play, sweetheart.
- Hi, Uncle Elgin. - Hi, Amanda.
- How are you, Gerry? - Fine. How are you?
Fine, thank you.
Good morning, Roy.
You hear it? That's the cry of fear.
Now, if we can just chase them away with that sound of fear...
...we'll be able to control their entire flight.
Say, what do you plan to do with them then?
By introducing them into areas infected with mosquitoes...
...they'll be able to do the same job that DDT does...
...without the side effects.
I see. Well, that brings me to a favor, Roy.
Cole Hillman, he's a rancher about 50 miles north of here...
...he rather put A&M on the map...
...that is, at least in football back in the '40s.
And he does some scouting and fundraising for us.
Well, he's really got a problem.
A rabbit explosion.
Now, he's fighting like the devil to keep them out of his irrigated land...
...but they've already eaten the range right out from under his cattle.
Rabbits aren't exactly Roy's bag.
Cole Hillman's on your side, Roy. He's trying to avoid poison.
Well, good for him.
But once those rabbits spread out...
...the other ranchers will bomb this whole country with cyanide.
All right, then. We'd better take a run up there this weekend.
I'd rather you did it today.
Mommy.
I like rabbits, Mommy.
Out here in the Southwest they're called Sylvilagus.
These are all different.
There's a fella that lives south of here about 10 miles...
...he used to raise domestic rabbits.
But he had a fire, and a couple a hundred of them got away.
So these are mongrels.
They have plagues of rabbits down in New Zealand and Australia.
Now, how'd they get rid of those?
They've used poison, for one thing.
But the poison killed the birds...
...and that resulted in a plague of grasshoppers, just as bad as the rabbits.
If I sprayed poison, I'd have to pull my cattle off the range...
...and dump them on the market at the worst time of the year.
Might be another way to whip this problem, Cole.
- How? - Hormones...
...which would interrupt their breeding cycle.
Or a disease that would affect only the rabbits.
How long can you hold out before using the cyanide?
Six or eight weeks, until the young ones show up.
I'll tell you what I'd like to do.
I'd like to get about a dozen of these adults and run some tests.
That's simple.
Just open the back of your camper and they'll hop right in.
- Can I have these? - You bet.
Wish I had my own pony.
My dad gave him to me.
You can ride him sometime, if you want to.
I'd like that.
What happened?
A rabbit bit me, that's what happened.
You don't have to punch any holes in that can, as far as I'm concerned.
Better have that finger looked at.
The bite of the Lepus, that's the Latin word for rabbit, can be dangerous.
Well, Dr. Dirkson, I certainly appreciate your interest in this particular problem.
Well, I'm interested in your experiment.
- Keep me posted. - I certainly will.
Poor thing.
- Mommy. - What, hon?
What's a control group?
Well, they get the same care as the others, but they don't get any of the medicines.
Roy.
Step aside, darling.
What's the matter with him, Mommy?
Well, we were trying to make...
...Jack a little more like Jill and Jill a little more like Jack...
...so they wouldn't keep having such large families.
Simply can't shoot them full of hormones...
...without setting their nervous system into shock.
It can mean months developing the right lab procedure.
Well, nothing seems to work.
On the other hand...
...here's something I know they've never been exposed to before.
Dr. Dirkson from the Public Health Department...
...sent it over this morning.
- Would you get me a clean rabbit? - Oh, yeah.
I wish I knew what the effects of this serum would be.
Let's hope it works.
Not that one, Mommy. It's my favorite.
Apparently, this is the villain...
...in certain birth defects.
Causes hereditary changes.
- Will it transmit to other rabbits? - Well, I should hope so.
It's difficult to inject 10 to 15,000 wild rabbits.
Right.
Now, this substance...
...if we could affect the blood of 50 rabbits...
...it wouldn't take long for this change to take place in the entire population.
Hello, Cole.
No. Not yet. I'm sorry.
Just a minute.
Gerry.
Yes, Cole.
We're trying a new serum.
We hope to inject 50 or so rabbits.
If it works on them, it wouldn't take long before it would infect thousands.
Yeah. Sure.
Yeah?
Cole says the rabbits are getting meaner and hungrier.
We could use another dozen here. He's got them ready to go.
Would you mind picking them up for me?
Of course not.
Thanks, honey.
You see, Cole, we have to keep a tight control on these test rabbits.
Heaven help us if any of them should get away...
...before we know the effects of this new serum.
Sure, Cole.
Gerry will be by this afternoon.
Fine, Cole. I'll talk to you later.
- I'll take Amanda with me. - Good.
Amanda, would you please leave those rabbits alone?
You said I could have one.
Can I? Before you kill them?
- One from the control group? - Well, all right.
She seems to be the only one that gets along with them.
Thank you, Daddy.
Rub his foot while you're at it, honey, and see what kind of luck that brings us.
As a matter of fact, rub all four of them.
The damn rabbits.
Pardon me, ma'am.
- The rabbits are getting pushier and meaner. - Every day.
- Romeo's not a bad rabbit. - I don't care.
Get him out of here or I won't be your friend.
I won't do it.
Get! Those darn rabbits killed my chickens.
I'm sorry, Amanda.
Don't tell my mom he ran away.
Okay. You can say I'm keeping him for you.
- Come on. - Okay.
Since the injection, this rabbit has increased in size.
If it keeps up, we'll have to get larger cages.
One more week and these won't be babies anymore.
Neither will the ones up at Cole Hillman's.
The young will be coming out of their holes...
...any day and starting their new generations.
Well, I guess you ought to call Cole.
If he's gonna poison those fields, he'd better do it now.
I'm going to warn him.
If he poisons the rabbits, he's going to kill off all the other animals.
And it won't be long, he'll have nothing left but unredeemable wasteland.
Well...
If this don't work, Cole, I swear I'll send my planes over your land.
This is the place to spray, the place to stop them.
In two months from now...
...everything north of here will be eaten out.
In the meantime, there'll be a burned-out strip nearly a mile wide.
Between my property and everything south...
...there won't be a bush, a blade of grass or a drop of water.
All right, Frank, when you and Jud...
I still think poisoning's the better way to do it.
Yeah. Well, say thank you instead.
Cole here is sacrificing his land to starve them out natural.
Any help you need replanting or anything, you call on me.
I appreciate that, Arlen. Any time you're ready, light it.
Sure hope it works.
Oh, Roy, this was the first rangeland to get eaten clean.
So I figure it might be the first one to come back.
Instinctively, that's what they do.
They'll come right back here.
Roy.
What kind of a track is that?
I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before.
How about you, Cole?
I don't know.
Got a couple of cow tracks in it.
From the size of that imprint, the depth of it...
...I’d say it was... Weighed maybe 100, 150 pounds.
Could it be a mountain lion?
Well, it could be, but we haven't had any of those around here in a long time.
Getting tired?
- Wanna do some more riding? - Okay.
I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Captain Billy.
He's got a gold mine over in those hills back there.
I asked your ma, she says it's okay.
A real gold mine?
Well, he hasn't found much yet...
...but he says he's going to. Come on.
Come on.
Billy?
Are you here, Captain Billy?
Captain Billy?
You go into the tunnel, see if you can find him.
I'm gonna look around out here.
- Okay. - Go on.
Captain Billy?
Captain Billy? Captain Billy?
Where are you, Captain Billy?
Are you in here, Captain Billy?
Captain...
Amanda!
Amanda! Amanda!
Daddy, help me! Help!
Daddy!
Oh, Daddy, help!
Daddy, Daddy!
Doctor?
She'll be all right. Just a case of mild shock.
- Just let her rest. - Are you sure?
I'm sure. But if anything new develops, please call me.
- Thank you. - Right.
Thank you for coming over, doctor.
- Good night, Mr. Bennett. - Good night.
You were in the miner's shack when you heard her screams?
- Yes, sir. - Then what?
I ran out and got her.
She was just coming out of the mineshaft...
...yelling bloody murder.
Did you see anything? Anything at all?
I can't say I did, Mr. Bennett.
Although, there might have been something moving around...
...just inside the shaft.
I couldn't be sure. Everything happened too fast.
Well, something scared her half to death.
She just didn't imagine it. Amanda's too sensible.
Daddy! Daddy!
Everything's gonna be all right, honey. Oh, my poor baby.
I'm gonna talk to Dr. Dirkson.
Well, now, what's so urgent?
Over there, sheriff.
- What did they use on him? An ax? - Beats me.
I never seen anybody cut up like that.
Sheriff, for you.
Put a call through. Get some lab men out here and give them a hand.
- Yes, sir. - Cody.
What?
Bring the body into town.
Get Doc Wilson to do a post on him right away.
I'll meet you at the office in 20 minutes.
Well...
Looks like we got another one on our hands.
An old prospector. Lived up in the hills near the Hillman ranch.
Found his body in a mineshaft...
...hacked to pieces.
Just like that truck driver.
In the smallest of objects, one can often find a world of discovery.
A microscopic view of a surface of a blunt weapon...
...can lead to the arrest of a man halfway around the world.
But, Mr. Leopold, where do those tin cans lead us?
Well, for one thing, they were not opened with an ax.
Something punctured the metal.
Not too fast, but with great strength.
And the crates on the truck weren't broken either.
- They've been gnawed. - What?
Gnawed, chewed, bitten.
In addition, traces of dried saliva were found on the cans...
...the boxes and the victims.
So, what have we got here? Vampires?
Possibly.
Well, frankly, sheriff, off the top of my head...
...the only thing that could have caused this sort of destruction...
...would have been a saber-toothed tiger.
As a matter of fact, a lot of them.
Sheriff Cody, come in. This is Officer Hightower.
I'm at the picnic grounds three miles east of the Hillman ranch.
I've never seen anything like this before.
There's a family of four here...
...a man, a woman and two children...
...horribly mutilated.
I'm standing by until the coroner arrives.
Over.
I've studied abnormalities and birth defects all my life.
It's come pretty close to home for me.
I see them all the time.
Naturally, I'd like to believe they don't exist.
Unfortunately, they do.
But, doctor, rabbits as big and as ferocious as wolves?
It is inconceivable.
The genetic code of every living thing...
...is contained in each cell of that organism.
Now, assuming inadvertently we introduced defective cells into that one rabbit...
...it's conceivable that we could've created...
...the seeds for a mutated species.
Amanda saw huge rabbits. It's just... It's just too hard to believe.
And I don't think I'll be able to, not until I've seen one.
All we have to go on is what Amanda had to say...
...and that track that was trampled all over with.
Well, the only thing we can do...
...is gather our group together, take another look around that area tomorrow.
Shouldn't we bring Sheriff Cody along?
I don't agree, Gerry. I don't think so.
Imagine the kind of publicity that would bring down on the university...
...if it became generally known.
We shouldn't tell anybody until we know what the score is.
I think you're right.
Honey, you call up Hillman.
Tell him to expect us in the morning.
Have him get ready some poisoned feed, cyanide, dynamite...
...and anything else he can think of. - Okay.
Have him get ahold of Jud and Frank.
- They may as well go along tomorrow. - Okay.
I don't suppose there's a chance...
...that you can bring back one of those rabbits alive?
More of those tracks we saw at the water hole.
They certainly weren't made by human beings.
How far in does it go?
Oh, about two miles due north of the opening of the tunnel here.
Any other way into it?
Well, there's a vertical shaft at the other end, but it's been closed up for years.
Elgin, why don't you and Frank get half the dynamite...
...and take a look up above.
- See if there are any other holes. - Right.
Jud, you run the hoses for the gas inside the tunnel...
...and I'll set the charges.
Hello, Gerry. Gerry, Elgin here.
Yes, Elgin. Over.
I'm up on top. Let me speak to Roy. Over.
Just a minute.
- Yes, Elgin, what did you find? - There are three holes here.
Look around and make sure there aren't any others.
Right.
Hold on just a second, Roy.
Listen.
Do you hear that?
We sure do.
Set your dynamite.
We'll let you know when we're ready down here.
We'll set off the charges at the same time. Out.
Well, we got our hands full.
We can't plug these up quick enough for me.
Well, we got three holes to blow.
- You think we got enough dynamite? - Yeah, we'll make it.
While you're setting up, I'll look around, see if there are any more.
Let me take this.
Honey, I'm going in there.
- You can't do that. - I haven't got a choice.
But why? We're gonna blow it up right now.
Whatever's back in there's a mystery. If we cave it in, we'll never know.
I'm gonna try to pull one of them out...
...so I can analyze its blood and check its cells.
If I can't, at least I'll take a picture of it.
Wait a minute.
Give me the rifle. Okay, let's go.
Stay on the radio to Elgin and tell him we're going in there.
Elgin. Come in, Elgin.
That seems to be the lot of them.
- You about ready? - Yeah.
Just give me a couple more minutes.
Mrs. Bennett called.
Bennett and Hillman have gone into the mine.
Oh, no.
Hello, Gerry. Come in. Come in, Gerry.
- This is Elgin. - Yes. Over.
Look, we've got three holes about set to dynamite.
Have they come out of there yet? Over.
No. Not yet. I hope it's soon.
We must be in a half a mile by now.
And they seem to be moving away from us.
They should be coming out any minute. Over.
I'll be standing by. Over.
How many tunnels do you suppose there are?
We should've marked our way, in case we have to get out in a hurry.
Sounds like they're right around that corner.
Don't shoot.
The whole place might come down on us.
They're as big as wolves.
They look just as vicious.
Nobody will believe this.
Could this have been caused by the serum you injected in that one rabbit?
I'm sure of it. It only takes one.
Probably thousands of them. Must be their breeding ground.
Let's get the hell out of here.
Left or right?
Right.
I got the detonator set.
I'm ready to release the gas as soon as they come out.
Okay.
Jud. Jud, now, calm down.
Calm down. He's gone. The rabbit's gone.
Ma'am, we got to get out of here.
They ain't coming out of that mine alive.
Oh, yes, they are. Oh, yes.
And we're not going anywhere.
Oh, Roy.
Blow it!
Oh, Roy. Oh, darling. Thank God.
- How in the world was that possible? - Well, you heard what Dirkson said.
What's his position on releasing these photographs?
The same as mine and Gerry's.
We feel that the facts have to be made public.
Now, if you want, I'll tell them it was an unauthorized experiment.
No way, Roy. I got you into this. That wouldn't be right.
I think we have to bring Sheriff Cody into this now.
We'll go out to the mine in the morning...
...check, make sure we got rid of all of them.
We'll take Sheriff Cody with us.
- I'll get in touch with him now. - Fine.
Well, honey, when this story breaks, we'll have newspapermen from all over.
You and Amanda ought to go someplace where they won't hound you to death.
You're right. Amanda's been through enough.
Suppose we drive up to Woodale and stay at the lodge...
...and you join us as soon as you can.
Good. Good idea.
I love you very much.
And if we have to...
...I'll even be happy to go and work with you in...
...Timbuktu. - Timbuktu.
Get Jackie up and get him dressed into something warm.
And you too, all right?
Let's hurry.
Easy. Easy, now.
What's going on?
Whoa, boy. Easy, easy.
Better watch out there, Frank.
Jud, take it easy.
Jud. Hey, Jud.
You ain't gonna stop him, Mr. Hillman.
Not after what happened today.
Dorothy.
You and Jack should get in that cellar and stay there.
Frank, don't lock me out. I'm gonna make a phone call.
Right.
Mildred?
Now, listen closely.
Mildred?
- Mildred? - Mr. Hillman?
Mildred!
Sounds like a cattle stampede.
Every line north of Cole Hillman's house just went off.
Well, lightning got it maybe.
- He was mighty agitated. - That's 115 games for you, 110 for me.
We were cut right off.
You wanna take a run up Hillman's way?
No, not at this hour.
I'm gonna get the truck turned in, get home and get some sleep.
- When does Connie spell you? - About midnight.
Well, I'll see you up at the house.
Hey, Les. Wait up.
Come on, I'm not gonna wait.
Drop me off up at the house, will you?
Good night, Les.
- See you in a little bit. - All right.
- Okay. Good night, Les. Thanks a lot. - All right. Good night. See you tomorrow.
- Find him? - Yeah, I found him.
What was left of him.
Well, the horses won't be back for a week. Spooked too bad.
Why don't you stay with Dorothy and Jackie while I hike into town.
All right.
Don't worry. We'll be in before dark.
You call me about 6:00 from Woodale.
I'll either be here or over at Sheriff Cody's.
- Okay. - Bye, Daddy.
Bye, honey.
I'll see you, sweetie.
See you later.
- See you later. - Okay.
Where is Sheriff Cody?
Just got back from the crime lab in Phoenix.
He'll meet us at the airport.
Sheriff, we have something horrible to tell you.
Your frantic call wouldn't have anything to do with rabbits?
How did you know?
They tell me that's what killed Captain Billy and that driver.
Rabbits with teeth that long.
Crime lab's been double-checking their tests all morning.
We'll tell you about it on the way, sheriff.
- You sure we shouldn't stop? - I'm picking up no strangers, Susan.
I said that when we left Denver and I'm sticking with it.
Especially a man carrying a gun.
- Mom, can we stop soon? - Yeah, Mom, can't we?
Howard, could we stop at that town up there? The children are thirsty.
Sure.
You won't find anything in that store, Susan.
This is what they call a ghost town out here.
Daddy would've liked our picnic, Mommy, don't you think?
Yes, sweetheart, I do.
I'm hoping he'll be able to join us by tomorrow.
How much farther to Woodale?
Well, there's the turnoff right up ahead.
What was that?
I almost scraped the bottom of the car. Daddy wouldn't like that.
What are we gonna do, Mommy?
Don't you worry, sweetheart. We'll be all right.
Evidently, some survived and got out.
They've gone.
Must be holed up somewhere else.
Yeah.
But where?
How many?
It gets dark at 5:30.
That gives us a couple hours to find them before they start moving again.
Patch me in to my office.
Get in touch with the governor and the National Guard.
We have an emergency here.
What's the trouble?
If I told you, you'd think I'd been drinking.
- But I need your help. - Well, get in.
Thank you.
Circle the area. Let us know if you spot any of them.
- What did the governor say? - Major White spoke to him.
He said to use the National Guard.
What about the aerial photos and maps?
- Everything's at the station. - Let's go.
I'm in the sheriff's office. I'll be here if you need me.
Thanks, operator.
I can't get Cole Hillman.
The switchboard in Galanos is dead.
Well, there's nothing in Galanos but a few stores and houses.
Are there any mines south of here?
Or any place at all where they could hole up for the day?
Well, I'm not sure.
Jason, you know that territory better than I do.
Well, sheriff, to the best of my knowledge, I've never heard of any mines that far south.
Cody.
Well, put him on.
Hello, sheriff? It's me, Cole Hillman.
Where are you? I've been trying to get ahold of you.
Now, listen to this.
The rabbits attacked the ranch last night and killed Jud.
Also Mildred, her husband and Les.
They move at night and are heading your direction.
All right.
Stay right where you are. I'll have a car pick you up.
What's that all about?
Cole just came through Galanos. Said they're holed up in the buildings there.
Then we've got them. We'll hit the whole town with rockets.
I've got two fighter-bombers on the runway in Tucson right now.
Just a minute, major. What about survivors?
It'll be dark before I get there with enough men to handle the situation.
When it gets dark, you won't be able to handle the situation.
Sheriff, when those rabbits start coming, they could be here in a couple of hours.
Will that give you enough time to evacuate the town?
Not all of it.
There are a lot of trailer courts and ranches spread around.
Many of them without telephones.
You know, what we need is a fence about 10 miles long and 20 feet high.
Let's evacuate the town.
Major White, let me have my command post. I'll wait.
I should've been hearing from Gerry by now.
Jason, are those lines to Woodale still open?
As far as I know, sir.
I didn't want the girls here when the reporters came around.
Well, don't worry. Woodale's a good 25 miles west of those rabbits.
She'll be safer there than she would be in town.
I hope you're right.
National Guard Alpha Company reports the rabbits are near Four Corners...
... killing as they come.
Other companies are setting up machine guns outside of Ajo.
- A complete standstill.
All traffic will be diverted to Stone Canyon.
Buses leaving the square are filled to capacity.
Advise all motorists to drive with caution, with windows up.
Volunteers desperately needed at the hospital...
... to assist in evacuating patients.
Lopez calling. Come in, sheriff.
Cody here.
We're on the road, about 15 miles south of Galanos.
They're right behind us...
...spread out on both sides of the road.
Looks like there could be hundreds of them...
...coming at you on a front maybe 2 miles wide.
At the speed they're going, I'd say you've got about 40...
...50 minutes. Over.
All right, Lopez.
We're headed for the station. We'll see you there. Let's go.
Here to here.
Now, if they're coming across a front that wide, I can't possibly stop them.
I just don't have enough men.
When morning comes, they'll hole up. We'll have better chance to handle them.
The city will be a disaster area by that time. They only move at night.
You were saying something about a fence.
Yeah. A fence about 2 miles long and 20 feet high.
Clark, how far do you think those rabbits travel with each stride?
Oh, judging from the tracks we've seen, I'd say, oh, four, maybe five feet.
Think that railroad dispatcher's still on duty?
He should be, unless he's been evacuated.
Get him on the telephone.
We'll funnel them into a half-mile area at the tracks.
Unless you tell me those rabbits are good at climbing ladders...
...I got no intentions of budging out of this place.
Now, what can I do for you?
According to the map...
...the railroad line north of town cuts clear across, east and west.
Is there any way we can isolate a stretch of track...
...at least 2 miles long between us and Galanos?
Well, there's a siding five mile east of here.
I'll switch the one to the east right now.
I got the tracks to the east cut off from the rest of the line.
There's a freight on the line.
I can stop it, throw the switch if you want.
No, it won't work with a train on the track.
- What won't work? - A fence, major.
A fence between the rabbits and the city. An electrical fence.
We'll electrocute them on the railroad tracks.
As soon as that train clears that other switch...
...I want you to throw it open the same way. You got that?
Right, right.
Attention, attention.
Ladies and gentlemen, attention.
There is a herd of killer rabbits headed this way...
...and we desperately need your help.
Roll up your windows.
Turn on your lights and follow the police car at the entrance of the theater.
Please keep calm and cooperate with the authorities.
Do you read me?
All right, move out.
Come on. Move it up, move it up.
All right, folks. Come on, let's go. Move it up, move it up.
Come on, folks. Move out.
Please, let's cooperate. Let's go, folks. Everyone together, now. Please.
Keep going, keep going.
Okay, that's it. Move out.
Jason, take Major White to his command post.
Then go to the power station, wait for orders.
Get back into the car, Hillman.
We're going to the railroad tracks.
Sheriff, would you check with your office and see if they've heard from my wife?
Sheriff Cody calling. Come in, please.
- Clark here. - Clark, have you heard from Gerry?
No. I've called Woodale several times. She hasn't arrived yet.
- Let me know when you hear of something. - I sure will, Roy.
I'm starting to worry, sheriff.
I should have heard from Gerry and Amanda an hour ago.
Will you have that chopper meet me at the railroad siding?
Why, sure.
As soon as that train clears the switch...
...throw all the power you can into both rails.
We know. Get in that chopper and find your family.
That's right. Here, take this.
Leave your lights on.
Line your cars up.
Follow instructions from National Guardsmen.
All right. Line your cars up as close together as you can.
Move it up closer.
- Go faster, please. - Closer. Up a little farther. That's it.
- Leave your lights on. - Come on, come on, move it.
- Get in there. - Over here.
- Closer. - More to your right, come on.
Leave those lights on.
- Good. - That's it. Good.
Good. Faster. Let's go.
Don't kill your motor yet. Keep it going.
All right. Come on, come on.
Easy, easy. Okay, okay.
Let the other car by, please. Come on.
Scared.
It's all right, sweetheart.
Now, I want you to get inside the camper...
...and I want you to lock the door. All right.
Mommy, watch out! Be careful!
Mommy! Mommy!
Mommy.
Mommy! Wait!
Mommy! Oh, no, Mommy. Watch out!
Mommy.
It's all right, honey. Daddy's here.
Daddy, Daddy!
- Are you all right? - Oh, honey.
Let's get out of here.
How much longer are you fellas gonna be?
We're working as fast as we can, sheriff.
Sheriff, I have the dispatcher.
Sheriff Cody here. Now, what happened to that train?
Sheriff, I told you, there's a slow freight on the line.
And there's nothing I can do about it.
Well, where is it now?
Five minutes before it crosses that switch.
Ladies and gentlemen, reports from headquarters confirm...
...that the horde of killer rabbits is getting closer to town.
High voltage has been turned on into a section of the railroad tracks.
And it is your car lights we hope will funnel the rabbits onto them.
There will be machine-gun and rifle fire to kill and divert these monsters.
Do not panic.
Sergeant, see if they understand my instructions.
And, sergeant, make sure they all roll their windows up.
Please roll your windows up.
Roll your window up and listen for further orders from the major.
Here they come.
Look at the size of them.
I can't believe it.
Rabbits sighted approaching Harrison Road, still heading toward Ajo.
Okay, we're ready to connect here.
Bennett called. His family's safe. They're on their way.
He said he spotted thousands of rabbits headed our direction.
Lopez, tell them to cut the power.
Cut the power.
Station five, sheriff. The ones coming from the north...
... have been joined by thousands of others coming from the west of town.
They're a mile past the Jackson trailer park.
Understand five people dead and the area in complete shambles.
- How are they? - Fine. They're in the chopper.
Are you all right?
Fine, thanks.
Have them turn the power on.
Calling Jason. Calling Jason.
Come in, Jason.
- Jason here. - Turn on the power.
There they are.
Fire.
Fire!
Fire.
There's some more.
Outpost sector reporting.
More keep coming.
Best we can do is funnel them toward you.
Detour all traffic from Highway 83.
In direct path of oncoming horde.
Helicopter reporting.
They're headed straight towards the tracks. It won't be long.
The horde is entering your perimeter.
They're heading straight toward you, between the cars and the track.
Here they come!
Clark, behind you.
- Hi, Cole. - Hi, Roy.
- Gerry, Elgin. - How's everything been at the ranch?
Well, it set me back a few years...
...but at least there's a new pack of coyotes yapping up in the hills...
...and my boy said he saw a deer and a fox.
Oh, great. And the rabbits?
Jackie said yesterday he saw some new rabbit burrows north of the water hole.
But nothing like they used to be.
Well, survival of the fittest.
- That's only fair, I suppose. - Yeah.
Say, why don't you and your wife come out to the ranch.
- We'd like that. - Good.
- We really would. - You got a deal.
- Okay. Bye-bye. - Bye.
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