Is that a bunny on a ferry to Chapel Hill? NC wildlife agency has fun with ‘OBX’ joke
We won’t soon forget when North Carolina’s geography was butchered on Netflix a few years ago.
Nope, there’s still not a ferry from the Outer Banks to Chapel Hill, as the adventure series “Outer Banks” might have us believe.
But the gaffe is always good for a social media laugh, and North Carolina’s regulatory agency on wildlife did its part on Monday.
The NC Wildlife Resources Commission posted a (skillfully edited) photo on Facebook and Twitter Monday afternoon of a rather large Eastern Cottontail rabbit sitting on a ferry bench.
“Here’s a rabbit taking the ferry boat to Chapel Hill,” the post read.
It was accompanied by a link to more information about one of three rabbit species that are native to North Carolina.
Of course, the post came with #OBX3 and #IFYKYK (if you know, you know) hashtags.
The humorous photo (which may require a double take to confirm its fabricated nature) is a reference to a Season 1 episode of the Netflix series “Outer Banks” from 2020. The episode suggested it’s possible to reach the landlocked town of Chapel Hill by boat from the coast.
There was indeed a ferry taken from an island to the coast in the original script, “Outer Banks” producer Jonas Pate, a native of Raeford, told McClatchy News in 2020. Then, the characters took a (very costly, we’d imagine) Uber to Chapel Hill from there.
“But that scene of them getting into the Uber and driving to Chapel Hill was cut, and never even shot,” said Pate. “We cut it not realizing it would imply Chapel Hill was on the coast.”
Since then, there’s been a long-running series of jokes on social media at the expense of the mistake.
It didn’t stop there. The show continued to be a source of teasing on social media after a promotional poster released last week for the series’ upcoming third season purported to show a dramatic cliff by the ocean, implying that it existed in the Outer Banks.
The show’s defense this time? The cliff in the poster depicts a fictional island on the show, aka “Poguelandia,” nowhere near the Outer Banks.
The Wildlife Resources Commission generated its share of ribbing with its post.
“Wow!! The rare Hatteras Cliff Rabbit, never seen one in the wild! Fun fact: they live in palm trees!” read one Facebook comment.
“I guess it’s a pretty hare-raising boat ride?” said another.
“Something looks a hare off,” replied another user.
Others just accepted it as fact: “Seems legit.”
As for the bunny, you’ve probably seen this familiar critter roaming about the lawns and backyards of most North Carolina suburban areas. They have adapted to living in close proximity to humans and are the most widely present rabbit in the state, according to the WRC.
The other two native species are the marsh rabbit and the Appalachian cottontail rabbit.
Meanwhile, the third season of “Outer Banks” will be released Feb. 23.
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 7:36 PM.
