Night of the Lepus (1972)

[bunniefuu]

The world, within the last few years...

...has become more and more aware
of the population expl*si*n.

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,
k*lling 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 expl*si*n.

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 expl*si*n
be contained?

Where's Ranger, Dad?

Stepped in a rabbit hole, son.
Broke his leg. I had to sh**t 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 k*lling 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 k*lling
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 expl*si*n.

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 b*mb
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 k*lled 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 sh**t 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 k*ll 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
k*lled 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 k*ll 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 m*rder.

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 r*fle. 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 sh**t.

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!

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 k*lled
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 g*n.

- 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 k*lled 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...

... k*lling as they come.

Other companies are setting up
machine g*ns 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 k*ller 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 k*ll 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 k*ller 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-g*n and r*fle fire
to k*ll 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.

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.