HISTORY

The word "bunny" is a pet name for "rabbit." In Scottish dialect, the word derives from the term "bun" meaning "tail," and can refer to a hare, rabbit or squirrel.

The oldest fossilized rabbit skeleton was discovered in China and dates back 30-40 million years, which places the rabbit among the oldest living mammals in the world!

Around 250 B.C., the Romans sought to populate their land with wild rabbits for hunting purposes. However, rabbits easily adapted to their surroundings and became so populous that hunters could not keep their numbers under control.

Although rabbits have long been used by humans for their meat and fur, it is not clear when rabbits first became domesticated. Some historians believe that caged rabbits were first kept in Africa, while others contend that they were selectively bred by French monks in the Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages, rabbits were both feared as harbingers of evil and revered as symbols of fertility.

Rabbits were introduced in Britain during the eleventh century and kept for centuries as domesticated animals and as a source of fresh meat. They were bred and allowed to run free in open enclosures called "warrens." The famous Ditsworthy Warren near Dartmoor is one of England's oldest stone warrens.

The British feared that rabbits would be unable to survive the harsh winters, so a select number of rabbits were kept in hutches for breeding purposes. These rabbits were known as "Clapper Coneys." A few Clapper Coneys were allowed to live as pets and aptly nicknamed "Sweethearts."

In 1418, the island of Porto Santo had become so overrun by rabbits that the Portugese had brought there that it was no longer inhabitable by humans. The rabbits literally ruled the island!

During the early nineteenth century, Australian seamen engaged in whaling often left rabbits on nearby small islands as a source of food in case of shipwrecks. By the 1830s, many of the islands burgeoned with ever-increasing rabbit populations.

In a Japanese myth, a white rabbit lands on Hakuto Beach and meets a tragic end in the ocean. Today, tourists can visit the famous Hakuto Beach to see the mythological spot where the rabbit landed on the beach, and the Fuzofumetsu pond where the rabbit took a bath!

According to an African-Cuban legend, the rabbit complained to Papa Dios (the Creator) that despite his silky fur, long feet and short shapely ears, he wanted to become bigger. Papa Dios agrees to consider the rabbit's wish if he first brings Him a feather from an eagle, an egg from a serpent, and a tooth from a lion. The rabbit tricks all three predators and brings his bounty back to Papa Dios, who commends him for his cleverness. While considering that the rabbit would be much more trouble if he were bigger, Papa Dios grants the rabbit's wish by making his ears longer!

Historically, California was known as the “rabbitry center” of the United States, because there were (and still are) more and larger rabbitries than anywhere else in the country. Rabbits are now raised in every U.S. state and territory!

The "mad" hopping and leaping of rabbits during the spring mating season gave rise to the old expression, "mad as a March hare." The dancing movements of the female rabbit are made to ward off unwanted advances by males.