What's up doc? Meet the tubby bunny that guzzles BANANAS

By NINA GOLGOWSKI

Bunny hug: The giant white rabbit lies back in its owner's arms in the YouTube video while munching a banana

Carrots are a more usual treat for a rabbit, but this oversized bunny clearly prefers bananas. A YouTube video captures the enormous white rabbit cradled in its owner's arms while greedily munching an equally large banana.
At times a nibbling and smacking sound can be heard - along with the cameraman's muffled laughter - as the New Zealand White nibbles away happily.

Going bananas: Smacking and munching sounds can be heard on the video as the New Zealand White rabbit tucks in

The woman cradling the rabbit speaks to the cameraman in what appears to be Slovenian and holds the peeled banana for her pet. After about a minute's guzzling, the giant rabbit squirms out of her arms and on to the floor.
University of Miami veterinarian Dr Dana Krempels said that rabbits naturally like bananas, as they do most fruit and vegetables, but they are considered treats which should be given in small quantities.

Rabbit food: But vets say that bananas and other fruit should be an occasional treat for bunnies and be given in small quantities

'Just about any fruit you would like is okay for your bunny,' Dr Krempels writes in an article titled What Should I Feed My Bunny?
However the main part of its diet should be grass hay and fresh leafy greens.
Some argue that the position in which the the rabbit is being held, lying flat on its back, promotes a relaxed state.
One English expert, referred to as a Bunny Whisperer with the Times Online, claims that holding the animals this way can tame the wildest of rabbits.
Other veterinarians argue the position is stressful for rabbits, making them feel vulnerable with their underbelly exposed.
But the New Zealand White munching happily away on its banana, legs in the air, is obviously completely relaxed, and much admired by YouTube viewers.
'CUTENESS OVERLOAD! AWWW :D!' OrkGold1 wrote.



source: dailymail

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The EARLESS BUNNY born near the tsunami-damaged Fukushima plant raising new nuclear fears

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Fresh fears? This bunny, born without ears, was found near the doomed Fukushima nuclear plant - but experts are sceptical over whether radiation was responsible


Fresh fears over a nuclear leak at the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima plant have re-ignited after a rabbit born close to the facility was discovered with no ears.

Locals have been left wondering whether this earless bunny, which was reportedly found near the facility at the end of last month, is the first sign of side effects from the nuclear catastrophe.

The Fukushima plant suffered catastrophic damage when a tsunami, triggered by an earthquake, swept through the facility in March, destroying reactors.


Mutation suspicions: The bunny with two other rabbits, next to a radiation reading meter


Following a blast at the plant that caused the initial leaks, Japanese officials warned people living near Fukushima to stay indoors, turn off their air conditioning and stop drinking tap water.

Since then, experts have been nervously watching radiation levels in the area around the plant to determine the extent of the leak.


Is the radiation leak worse than expected? The bunny was found just outside the 30km exclusion zone of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station


Earlier this week it was revealed the Japanese government has more than doubled the estimate for the amount of radiation released by the plant.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency - a government watchdog - also said during a briefing in Tokyo that it is now believed that reactor cores in some of the units at the plant melted more quickly than previously thought.


Abnormal: Earless rabbits are rare and can occur either because of a genetic defect or through the mother rabbit biting off the ears if she is distressed


A video of the bunny was posted on YouTube and has quickly spread as an internet viral, labelled the 'nuclear rabbit'.

However according to the website NY Daily News, experts are sceptical as to whether radiation could be responsible for the bunny's lack of ears.

While high doses of radiation can cause cancer and other major health problems, radiation experts believe the likelihood of the rabbit's strange features being a result of nuclear mutation is very slim.


Sceptical: Experts are uncertain about links between the rabbit's strange appearance and the nuclear leak


In 2008, a healthy rabbit was born without ears in the UK, aptly-named Van Gogh.

While it is a rare occurrence, the deformity can happen because of a genetic defect or through the mother biting off the ears is she is distressed.

Dana Krempels, from the US-based House Rabbit Society, told the NY Daily News: 'I have to wonder whether there are any other bunnies in the group that have anomalies like that.

'I didn't see any. And that would make me very hesitant to cry "radiation" just because one baby bunny is missing his external ear pinnae.

'Whether it's due to radiation or some other factor is not possible to say, since these types of malformations do occasionally occur in the absence of known mutagens.'

However, rabbits' gestation periods are short - about 30 days - so if the bunny was born near Fukushima, this could be seen as an indication of radiation poisoning, as it would have been conceived well after the nuclear leak.


source: dailymail

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How owners' ignorance sentences pet rabbits to a life of misery in cramped hutches with poor food

By JAMES TOZER

Saved: The RSPCA has rescued a shocking 33,000 rabbits over the past three years, with 250 owners convicted of cruelty in that period


They are seen as low-maintenance animals, happy with a hutch full of sawdust, a bottle of water and half a carrot.

But the nation of Watership Down and Peter the Rabbit is condemning its third most popular pet to what too often are dull, unhealthy and short lives, experts said yesterday.

They revealed that up to three quarters of Britain’s two million pet rabbits are being badly treated by owners who are ignorant of their basic dietary and lifestyle needs.

And they said the pet shop industry bore responsibility for continuing to sell unsuitable, cramped hutches to unsuspecting owners.

As a result, the RSPCA has rescued a shocking 33,000 rabbits over the past three years, with 250 owners convicted of cruelty in that period.


Cramped: Experts say the pet shop industry bore responsibility for continuing to sell unsuitable, cramped hutches


The situation is so bad that some animal shelters won’t rehome them as pets for children.

According to a new survey, more than two thirds of owners believe carrots are a key part of a rabbit’s daily diet.

In reality, they should only be given occasionally in small amounts, if at all, as they are high in sugar and can lead to obesity or digestive problems.

Six out of ten were unaware that rabbits are intelligent and social creatures who need lots of mental stimulation, while almost half didn’t know they required large amounts of space in which to exercise.


source: dailymail

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Now THAT'S a bunny hop: Rabbit dressage set to take the world by storm

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Buggin' out: Snoopy the show jumping rabbit can jump around 60cm high


That rabbits like to hop is hardly a secret. But now European rabbit enthusiasts have harnessed their bunnies' natural talents to create a new spectator sport...
rabbit showjumping.

Invented in Sweden in the early Eighties, Kaninhop involves bunnies bouncing their way around courses consisting of several small jumps of varying height and length.

Snoopy, a black-and-white bunny from the German city of Jena, is the star of the local Kaninhop club - and he makes spends his days leaping over all manner of barricades, jumps and rails.

'Snoopy can jump 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) high,' proud Claudia Fehlen, the 23-year-old founder of the Jena bunny hopping club, told Der Spiegel.

'And he has done well in tournaments. He came in second once, and third another time.'

On the hop: Snoopy is the star of the Jena Kaninhop club


Over the past few decades to sport has spread far from its Scandinavian homeland and clubs have now sprung up in several other European countries, the U.S., Canada and even Japan.

Rules vary from country to country, but generally the more jumps a rabbit clears the higher its score. There is also sometimes a time element to competitions.


Oops! Bunnies are scored by the number of jump they can successfully clear, and there is often a time element to competition


As well as the dressage-style courses, there are also long-jump and high-jump challenges. The world height record is 99.5cm while the best distance is fully three metres, according to Swedish fan site kaninhoppning.se.

Miss Fehlen discovered the sport on the internet about five years ago. She practiced with her pet rabbits in her back garden before starting the Jena club in 2009.

Now there are 13 members who gather once a week in the eastern German city to train their animals.


Mad as a March hare: James the rabbit jumps while he is held on a leash. Trainers say restraints are vital to prevent uncontrolled breeding


Spring in his step: James easily clears another jump while training with his Jena- based Kaninhop club


Animal rights activists are alarmed by the past-time. Sweetrabbits, a private animal rights initiative in Germany, has criticised the use of leashes in Kaninhop competitions.

The group has even accused trainers of using the tethers to pull uncooperative rabbits over the obstacles.

But Miss Fehlen points out important practical reasons for keeping competing rabbits leashed: 'We use them in tournaments for safety,' she said.

'Just think of what would happen if a male were to break free. We want to avoid uncontrolled reproduction. It has happened before.'



source: dailymail

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'Will you be my dad?': Orphaned baby rabbits are adopted by male chihuahua

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Keeping clean: Mitch the Chihuahua chewed everything he saw but has now adopted the litter of five baby rabbits


At just three days old and barely big enough to stand on their own, this adorable baby rabbit needs all the help it can get.

And after being found abandoned on a compost heap, the outlook didn't look good for the litter of five wild baby bunnies.

But things are looking up for the tiny creatures after they found an unlikely father figure in the shape of Mitch the male chihuahua.


The baby rabbits are now being hand-reared at Capricorn Animal Rescue in Padeswood, North Wales with the help of their new surrogate father.

Mitch himself, a two-year-old white chihuahua, had been at the centre since he was six months old because he chews everything around him - except baby rabbits.

Staff at the rescue centre are looking after the babies by feeding them milk, while Mitch carefully grooms each of them like a true caring dad.


The adorable baby rabbits are too small to fend for themselves, but are surviving thanks to Chihuahua Mitch


Sheila Stewart, owner of the rescue centre, said: 'A man brought the litter in along with their nest after he found them when he moved a compost heap.

'They are tiny and I am feeding them every few hours with milk through a syringe.

'After I’ve finished feeding them, Mitch comes along and washes and grooms each one.
'He seems to have adopted them.'


source: dailymail

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Foster mutt: Rottweiler plays mother to orphaned bunnies, birds... and even kittens

By JAMES TOZER

Dave the rottweiler has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - plus countless new-born chicks


You probably wouldn’t pick a ten-stone rottweiler to nursemaid orphaned bunnies and birds. But even kittens are in no danger from Dave the Dog. All he wants to do is look after them.

Owner Amanda Collins discovered her six-year-old pet’s maternal nature when she brought home an unwanted French giant rabbit.

‘Dave just walked over to him and started licking him to clean him,’ said the 25-year-old, who runs a pet shop in Blackpool.

‘They bonded straight away. Now they sleep together, and I’ve even seen them sharing each other’s food.’

Miss Collins, who has looked after a menagerie of abandoned animals, soon found this wasn’t a one-off.

'When I brought home the ducklings, I thought he might not be the same as with the rabbits, but he just went over to them and licked them on the head,' she said..

'I filled a paddling pool with water so they could learn to swim in it, and Dave went and laid down in the water so they could clamber over him. He even lifted them out if they got into trouble.'

So far, Dave has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - not to mention countless new-born chicks.

Dave had a traumatic upbringing – his first owner docked his tail with a cleaver – but has remained amazingly good-natured and has now been voted Britain’s most inspirational dog in a contest sponsored by worming specialists Drontal.

The online contest attracted over 6,000 entries and 265,515 votes were cast.

And six-year-old Dave's owner hopes his success will help improve the breed's image.

'People see him coming and cross the road to the other side - it's so sad,' said Miss Collins.

'Most rottweilers aren't big vicious things - they can be very gentle and obedient if they're looked after and trained properly, and Dave is the perfect example of that.'

source: dailymail

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A five-month-old tiger cub looks at a rabbit in Jiufeng Forest Zoo in Wuhan

A five-month-old tiger cub looks at a rabbit in Jiufeng Forest Zoo in Wuhan, Hubei province January 23, 2011. The rabbit was put in the enclosure as a training exercise for the tiger to stimulate its hunting instinct, local media reported. Picture taken January 23, 2011.



A five-month-old tiger cub chases a rabbit in Jiufeng Forest Zoo in Wuhan, Hubei province January 23, 2011. The rabbit was put in the enclosure as a training exercise for the tiger to stimulate its hunting instinct, local media reported. Picture taken January 23, 2011.

source: Daylife
photo: Reuters

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The 2011 Year of the Rabbit

Manny Tangco feeds a tiger cub with warm milk while surrounded by rabbits in preparation for the 2011 Year of the Rabbit at the Malabon zoo, north of Manila December 28, 2010. The year 2010 is the year of the tiger on the Chinese zodiac calendar, and the year 2011 will be the year of the rabbit, which begins on February 3, 2011.




Zoo owner Manny Tangco (C) holds up a rabbit and a tiger cub while surrounded by local children at the Malabon Zoo in Malabon, in northern Metro Manila on December 28, 2010 to illustrate the shift from the 'Year of the Tiger' to the 'Year of the Rabbit'. China and many other parts of Asia will celebrate the start of the 'Year of the Rabbit' at Lunar New Year in early February 2011, in accordance with the Chinese calendar that works on a 12-year cycle.



Zoo owner Manny Tangco (C) holds up a rabbit and a tiger cub while surrounded by local children at the Malabon Zoo in Malabon, in northern Metro Manila on December 28, 2010 to illustrate the shift from the 'Year of the Tiger' to the 'Year of the Rabbit'. China and many other parts of Asia will celebrate the start of the 'Year of the Rabbit' at Lunar New Year in early February 2011, in accordance with the Chinese calendar that works on a 12-year cycle.


source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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A pet rabbit is dressed as Santa Claus

A pet rabbit is dressed in a festive costume at a photo event to celebrate Christmas and the Year of the Rabbit at a pet rabbit shop in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, December 21, 2010. The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.




A pet rabbit is dressed in a kimono at a photo event to celebrate Christmas and the Year of the Rabbit at a pet rabbit shop in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, December 21, 2010. The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.




A pet rabbit dressed in Santa Claus costume is photographed by its owner at a photo event to celebrate Christmas and the Year of the Rabbit at a pet rabbit shop in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, December 21, 2010. The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.




A woman tries to put a Santa hat on her pet rabbit at a photo event to celebrate Christmas and the Year of the Rabbit at a pet rabbit shop in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, December 21, 2010. The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.




A pet rabbit is dressed as Santa Claus at a photo event to celebrate Christmas and the Year of the Rabbit at a pet rabbit shop in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, December 21, 2010. The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.




A pet rabbit is dressed in Santa Claus costume at a photo event to celebrate Christmas and the Year of the Rabbit at a pet rabbit shop in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, December 21, 2010. The year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.


source: Reuters

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The Danish craze that has growing numbers of animal lovers hopping on the bandwagon

Jumping for joy: Breeders in Denmark have been 'rabbit hopping' for years and - despite animal cruelty concerns - say the animals are doing what comes naturally and enjoy the challenges


It's quite simple for the human being involved. All they have to do is give a little pep talk to their long-eared athlete, and then hang on to a lead while the rabbit does all the work.

Started in Sweden around 1980, the craze really captured the imagination of neighbours Denmark in 1993.

From there it has been going from strength to strength, with a rabbit hopping club opening recently in Germany and a number in the U.S. as well.


*** Scroll down to see video ***


Get 'em while they're young: For owners, breeder and judge Aase Bjerner says the trick is to start training your rabbit at around eight weeks. For spectators, the joy of the sport is obvious


The 2010 Danish Rabbit Hopping Championships were held earlier this month, attracting a large number of competitors and spectators alike.

Enthusiasts of the sport will tell you that there are four main events:

The Elite Straight: Rabbit competitors are given a series of obstacles to clear in a straight line. More points are earned if the obstacles are jumped without hesitation.

The Elite Crooked: The obstacles are placed in an offset, winding pattern. Once again, the less instruction the rabbit needs from its human owner the more points awarded.

High Jump and Long Jump: No great mystery here. Obstacles of increasing height or length are placed before the competitors until there is an eventual winner.

It's not a lucrative sport, but true competitors always prefer glory over fortune.

The current high jump world record, for example, is held by the late 'Tøsen' (with handler Tine Hygom), who sprang 39.2 inches into the record books in Herning, Denmark, in June 1997.

Danish breeder and rabbit hopping judge Aase Bjerner says the secret to a champion hopper is to start training the animal young.

Mrs Bjerner suggests eight weeks, and says it's best and safest to use a special harness rather than a neck leash, which can be a choking danger.



source: dailymail

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