- "I can't answer to those others who've said the lepusa's just a dumb beast. They're entitled to their opinion. But for me, seeing is believing. I see my little girl here in this courtroom today thanks to a so-called 'dumb animal.' That's all the proof I need."
- ―Yasil Senerio
The lepusa were a species of herbivorous creatures that originated on the planet Freliq. During the colonization of the planet, the lepusa were viewed as vermin, because they ate most of the crops the colonists had planted. For this reason, many of the creatures were killed.[1]
Behavior
Lepusa lived in packs of 70 to 100 individuals, with an average litter of five to eight individuals every two years, unchecked population growth often resulted in a maze of underground tunnels that undermined soil productivity on their home planet.[1]
Some believed that the lepusa were capable of manufacturing their own tools and had a crude social order.[1]
History
In 20 BBY, a great debate arose between the colonists who saw sentience in the eyes of the lepusa, and xenobiologists from other planets who said the creatures were just vermin and that the colonizers were merely sentimental about the animals. The colonists defended the innate intelligence and supposed sentience of the lepusa by pointing to their ability to learn, for example, by learning to keep away from the colonists' crops.
At some point, a lepusa saved the life of Jullisa Senerio, who had nearly fallen off a cliff, by taking a vine and lowering it to the farmer's daughter and pulling her up.[2]
