[11] This species is said to be endemic and is native to the Barisan Mountains in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia.

It has also been found in west and southwest Sumatra, and there is one record from Gunung Leuser National Park.

The Sumatran rabbit also prefers to live more specifically in montane forests with volcanic soil.

[15] In 2011 examples were photographed in the wild by a scientific team using camera traps in Bukit Barisan Seletan and Kerinci Seblat National Parks.

[16] In 2022 a farmer attempted to sell a live striped rabbit, opportunistically caught after a flash flood, on Facebook.

Attempts to start a conservation plan were not funded due to lack of reliable distribution and abundance information.