Rabbit History 2nd

At the turn of the 20th century, rabbit history took a significant turn when breeding rabbits became a popular activity.  Breeding the Belgian Hare (actually a rabbit that looks like a hare) became a big craze.  Beatrix Potter had pet Belgian hares which were the inspiration for her Peter Rabbit stories.  Breeding clubs were formed, and from this developed what is today the American Rabbit Breeding Association which has recognized 45 official rabbit breeds.

In 1912 the classification of rabbits as Rodentia was changed because of their “peg” teeth (a second set of incisors that rodents do not have) and they were given their own category, Lagomorpha.  With the development of DNA science, the rabbit’s DNA has been shown to be closer to that of a primate than a rodent.

During the 1920's rabbit fur became a big craze.  Also, felt hats were very popular and rabbit pelts were used to make them.  Fringe from rabbit fur was use extensively, and even piano sounding hammers were made from rabbit skin.  The rabbit fur industry experienced its ups and downs, but with popular opinion now unfavorable toward fur coats it has become a small industry.

In WWI, and during the Great Depression and WWII, people were encouraged by governments to raise rabbits to help feed themselves, and also the soldiers.  In 1944 twenty-eight  million were raised in the United States alone.  But after WWII when other meats again became available the demand for rabbit meat declined considerably and has stayed minimal ever since.  During this time of widespread rabbit raising, bunnies became popular pets but were considered animals to be kept outside. 

Rabbit history of the mid-20th century has been a dismal one for the wild rabbit.  Because they had been transported to locations where their natural enemies were absent, they multiplied at alarming rates and became pests to the agriculture industry.  It is said ten wild rabbits can eat the equivalent of one sheep.  Rabbits were killed by guns, traps, and imported predators like dogs, weasels, and ferrets.     Australia is the best known scenario for rabbit overpopulation.  They even built the Great Barrier Fence out of wire-netting three times the length of the Great Wall of China, but it did not work.  So in 1950 a biological solution was tried by releasing the myxoma virus, a disease carried by mosquitoes and fleas which killed 99% of Australia’s wild rabbits.  This virus was also released in France by a farmer which resulted in the death of 98% of the wild rabbits in Europe and England.  It also was lethal to domestic rabbits.  Even today in Queensland, Australia it is against the law to own a pet rabbit, and in New Zealand rabbit ownership is outlawed altogether.

The 20th century also gave rise to scientific experimentation using lab rabbits.  In 1992 a rabbit was the second animal to be successfully cloned.  Because of the work of animal rights groups and the advances in Science, the vast majority of lab animals experimented on today are rats and mice.

Today's Rabbit History

Rabbit history turn a very positive turn in the 1980’s when Marinell Harriman coined the term “house rabbit” in her book House Rabbit Handbook.  The house rabbit movement officially began with the founding of the House Rabbit Society which today has over 8,000 members. 

The idea that rabbits can live indoors is still a very novel concept to most people.  We have had house rabbits since the late 1980’s and even today our family, friends and acquaintances think we are strange for being so enthusiastic about them - especially since our home has developed into the Mid-South Bunny Museum.  If you have not yet owned a house rabbit, we invite you to join the house rabbit movement.