The Columbia Basin Pigmy Rabbit is the smallest and perhaps the rarest rabbit breed in the world. It is native to just one part of the Washington State Area, and weighs under 500 grams.

There are plenty of tiny domestic rabbit breeds to choose from if you’re looking for an adorable pet rabbit, but the tiniest of them all is actually a wild breed that doesn’t make a great pet. The Columbia Basin Pigmy Rabbit is skittish and nervous, but the main reason why you’ll most likely never own one is its critically endangered status. The breed was declared extinct in the wild in 2001, when the last 14 specimens were scooped up from their native habitat and put into a captive breeding program.

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For over a century, animal experts have known that a certain variety of rabbits move exclusively on their front legs when trying to move fast, but they’ve only recently learned why that is.

The Sauteur d’Alfort, also known as the Alfort jumping rabbit have baffled scientists for more than a decade. Unlike other rabbit varieties, the sauteur d-Alfort have a uniquely acrobatic way of moving. Over short distances, when moving slowly, they walk on all four limbs, but their hind legs hit the floor one after another, rather than at the same time. But the truly remarkable thing happens when it needs to move faster. Rather than hopping, it quickly lifts its hind legs above its head and starts moving on its front legs alone. Experiments done decades ago showed that the sauteur was incapable of hopping, but thanks to modern technology, scientists know exactly why that is.

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A Chinese man was recently ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in compensation after his firecracker celebration killed over 10,000 of his neighbors’ rabbits to death.

This unusual tragedy occurred at the beginning of 2018, when a man named Cai Nan decided to celebrate the renovation of his home in Xuzhou, China’s Jiangsu Province, with a bang. He and the workers set up dozens of firecrackers on the roof of the house and reportedly fired them off for a period of 3 to 4 minutes. Cai never imagined that the loud bangs they made would affect the rabbits on his neighbors’ farm, let alone scare thousands of them to death.

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Okunoshima is a small Japanese island, located in the Inland Sea of Japan, in the Hiroshima Prefecture. What’s special about this place is that it is completely crawling with rabbits – a bunny paradise of sorts. Nicknamed the Rabbit Okunoshima attracts thousands of animal lovers every year. Feeding bunnies can be one of the most relaxing pastimes, and people come here to do just that. The island is a popular day-trip and weekend holiday destination.

Okunoshima might be a place of natural beauty, but it has a dark, dirty past as well. In the early 20^th century, it served as the base for the Imperial Army’s lethal gas operation. Over 6,000 tons of about 5 types of poison gas were manufactured on this very island between the years of 1929 and 1945. The mission was top secret back then, so Okunoshima was actually omitted from maps and workers were sworn to secrecy. Today, you can still see the ruins of these factories on the island. Given its history, there are several explanations of the unusually large number of rabbits in this place. Some sources say the furry animals were brought over during World War II, to test the effects of the poisonous gases. When the war ended, the workers are said to have released the rabbits into the wild. Other sources claim that a group of children were on a field trip at Okunoshima in 1971, when they left behind 8 bunnies. Well, we might never know how the first rabbits got on to the island, but they did their job well – copulating to make sure they left behind hundreds of their progeny to roam the island today. Hundreds might not sound like a lot, but on an island just 2.5 kilometers in circumference they make their presence felt.

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60-year-old Cliff Penrose can put even the hoppiest bunny in a trance, by using the mysterious art of hypnosis.

Cliff needs just a few seconds to subdue a rabbit. After making a squeaking sounds, to attract the animal’s attention, Britain’s only rabbit whisperer applies some pressure and gives the rodent a little massage. To make sure the hopper doesn’t feel at all threatened, Cliff lowers his head, and finally closes its eyelids.

According to this unusual animal tamer, this technique places any rabbit in a trance, with its paws in the air, for up to 10 minutes at a time. But you have to be confident when handling the animal, and never try to do it when you’re stressed, scared, or nervous. According to Cliff, rabbits are incredibly intelligent animals that react to your state of mind.

Cliff Penrose has placed hundreds of bunnies, under his spell, and even has a special phone line, for troubled owners. Because of his special gift, he is in high demand, among vets in St. Austell, Cornwall.

via Daily Mail

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