Rabbits

Sunday afternoon I went to a rabbit show at a village on the flatland. I like rabbits and would keep one as a pet if we didn’t have a dog. My sister kept rabbits when she was alive - very gentle creatures.



Above: General view of the marquee with the judges in the centre. Notice the rosettes on the cages. A very serious atmosphere prevailed.



Above: Rex rabbits - this one was very gentle. Short dense velvety coats. Bright vivid colours because the colour pigment is concentrated in a shorter hair shaft.



Above: Looking a little bored among the sawdust. Silver Fox rabbits have lovely coats in black, blue, chocolate and lilac. They all have white underbellies.



Above: Lilac breed. Famous for the quality of their coats. This photograph doesn’t really do the animal justice - the coat was a very delicate shade.



Above: Belgian Hare - very old breed of rabbit. Despite the name (and the long ears!) this is not a hare but actually a specialised breed of rabbit. This one was a bit restless and had upset the drinking bowl.



Above: The distinctive Harlequin breed - one of my favourites. They are apparently difficult to breed to the standard. There is also a version known as Magpie where the gold is changed to white.



Above: The famous Black & Tan breed (presumably not popular in southern Ireland). The tan comes from the rufus colour gene. Also bred in Blue & Tan, Chocolate & Tan and Lilac & Tan.



Above: The Dutch breed has to be bred to a very strict pattern requirement. Seven different colours can be alternated with white to give the distinctive markings. A very noble rabbit.



Above: Almost entirely filling the cage, the British Giant is one of the heavyweights of the rabbit world. Highly prized for the quality and texture of its coat. Colours permitted are white, black, dark steel grey, blue.

Rabbits have been present in popular culture for centuries, and the many thousands of influences include place names (Coney Hill), commercial logos (the Playboy Club), and surreal humour (the killer white rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail).



Above: Gwen Stefani’s video for What You Waiting For? was based on Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland, and shows Gwen Stefani dressed as a white rabbit - the film is a small masterpiece (as are all her videos).

The Gwen Stefani video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TWCk1WtKPM

The British Rabbit Council: http://www.thebrc.org/