Rabbits belonging to the hare family were domesticated later than all the main domestic animals and birds. It is believed that the domestication of rabbits began in the 5th-3rd centuries BC. e., when man had already tamed both ducks and geese, not to mention pigs, horses and chickens. So late domestication of these small but very useful animals, which give excellent fur and excellent meat, is simply explained - there was no need. In nature, rabbits live in burrows in one place, without migrating anywhere. They find food themselves, reproduce and breed the cubs completely independently, there is no need to accustom them to anything. To get rabbit meat, you just had to go to the forest or meadow where the eared ones live, and with the help of simple devices, catch as much as you need.
Seriously, rabbits began to be bred on an industrial scale only in the 19th century, when the first signs of overpopulation appeared in Europe, and food production began to lag behind the increase in mouths that wanted this food. Nevertheless, despite the fertility of rabbits, their small size and vulnerability did not allow the rabbit to break out even to the second echelon of meat products. Everything rests on mechanization - with the same productivity it is much faster and easier to butcher the carcass of a pig or cow than to process 50 - 100 carcasses of rabbits, and it is almost impossible to mechanize the butchering of rabbits. Therefore, even in developed countries, the consumption of rabbit meat is calculated in hundreds of grams per person per year.
Rabbits and decorative animals have a small niche. Here, breeding and selection began in the twentieth century, and gradually rabbits as pets are gaining popularity, despite the complexity of care and a difficult nature. Small, specially bred animals often become real family members.
Continuing the humorists' phrase that has set the teeth on edge that rabbits are not only valuable fur, but also meat, let's try to outline what else these cute animals are interesting for.
1. Genetic studies show that all current European wild rabbits are descendants of rabbits that lived tens of thousands of years ago in the territories of present-day North Africa, Spain and southern France. Before the Australian incident, when rabbits independently multiplied over hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, it was believed that rabbits were spread throughout Europe and England by representatives of the upper classes, who raised animals for hunting. After Australia, it is possible to assume that under certain climatic conditions rabbits have multiplied throughout the European continent without human intervention.
2. The so-called "Dark Ages" - the time between the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire and the X-XI centuries - were also in rabbit breeding. Between the information about the breeding of rabbits for meat in Ancient Rome and the first records of rabbit breeding in medieval chronicles, there is almost a millennium.
3. When bred under normal conditions, rabbits develop and reproduce very quickly. Just one female rabbit per year can give up to 30 heads of offspring with a total yield of young meat up to 100 kg. This is comparable to fattening one pig, while rabbit meat is much healthier than pork, and the dynamics of reproduction and growth of young animals makes it possible to organize a rhythmic, without freezing and conservation, consumption of rabbit meat all year round.
4. Among the traditional types of meat, it is rabbit meat that is the most valuable from a dietary point of view. High calorie content (200 Kcal per 100 g) with a high protein content (more than 20 g per 100 g) and relatively low fat content (about 6.5 g) make rabbit meat indispensable for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, food allergies, problems with the biliary tract. Rabbit meat is very effective as food for patients weakened by severe injuries and diseases. It contains many well-absorbed vitamins B6, B12, C and PP. Rabbit meat contains phosphorus, iron, cobalt, manganese, potassium and fluorine. The relatively low cholesterol content and the presence of lecithins prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
5. Despite the generally recognized value of rabbit meat, it remains a niche product all over the world (with the exception of Iran, where eating a rabbit is generally prohibited for religious reasons). This is eloquently indicated by the numbers: in China, which produces 2/3 of the world's rabbit meat, in 2018, 932 thousand tons of this meat were grown. The second place in the world is occupied by the DPRK - 154 thousand tons, the third by Spain - 57 thousand tons. In Russia, rabbit meat production is mainly concentrated on personal subsidiary plots, so the numbers are largely estimates. It is believed that in 2017, Russia produced about 22 thousand tons of rabbit meat (in 1987, this figure was 224 thousand tons). Compared to millions of tons of pork or beef, this is, of course, minuscule.
6. One of the prominent figures of the government of the USSR said that every disaster has a surname, name and patronymic. He, of course, had in mind industrial disasters, but it is possible to establish the culprits in major misfortunes, seemingly natural. In October 1859, a certain Tom Austin, who owned vast lands in the Australian state of Victoria, released a couple of dozen rabbits. In his native England, this gentleman was used to hunting long-eared game, and he missed his hobby in Australia very much. As befits a real colonizer, Austin substantiated his whim with a public benefit - there will be more meat, and the rabbits will not be able to do any harm. Within 10 years, an abundance of food, a complete absence of predatory enemies and a suitable climate led to the fact that rabbits became a disaster for both people and nature. They were killed by the millions, but the animals multiplied, displacing or destroying the native species, even faster. To protect against rabbits, fences with a total length of more than 3,000 km were built - in vain. By and large, only myxomatosis saved the Australians from rabbits - an infectious disease that was a scourge for European rabbit breeders. But even this terrible infection helped only somehow restrain the growth of the population - Australian rabbits quickly developed immunity. In the 1990s, what Louis XIV would call “The Last Argument of People” came into play - scientists deliberately bred and inoculated hemorrhagic fever in rabbits. This disease is so variable and unpredictable that the consequences of its introduction cannot be predicted. The only consolation is that this step was taken not for pleasure, but for salvation. The damage from the desire of Tom Austin to hunt is impossible to assess. It is only obvious that the appearance of rabbits has significantly changed the flora and fauna of Australia. Queensland still has a $ 30,000 fine for keeping even ornamental rabbits.
7. The difference between wild and domestic rabbits is in several respects unique to the animal kingdom. For example, in the wild, rabbits rarely live more than one year. Domestic rabbits live on average for several years, and some record holders lived up to 19. If we talk about weight, pedigree rabbits are on average 5 times heavier than their wild counterparts. The rest of the pets cannot boast of such an advantage over their wild counterparts. Also, rabbits are distinguished by the frequency of respiration (50 - 60 breaths per second in a calm state and up to 280 breaths with extreme excitement) and heart rate (up to 175 beats per minute).
8. The usefulness of rabbit meat is provided not only by its composition in the first, so to speak, approximation. With a comparable protein content in beef and rabbit meat, the human body assimilates 90 - 95% of protein from rabbit meat, while hardly 70% of protein is directly absorbed from beef.
9. All rabbits are coprophages. This feature is due to the nature of their food. Some of the rabbit excrement is nutrients in the form the body needs. Therefore, during the primary processing of food, unnecessary substances are first released, they are removed from the body during the day. And at night, manure is removed from the rabbit's body, the protein content of which can reach 30%. He goes to food again.
10. Not only rabbit meat is of great value, but also its internal fat (not subcutaneous fat, but the one that seems to envelop the internal organs). This fat is a very powerful biologically active substance and contains a lot of useful compounds that stimulate the work of almost all human organs. The internal fat of the rabbit is used for diseases of the respiratory tract, treatment of purulent wounds and itching on the skin. It is also actively used in the production of cosmetics. In its pure form, it moisturizes the skin well and protects it from inflammation and hypothermia. The only contraindication is inflammation of the joints or gout. The internal fat of a rabbit contains purine bases, from which urea, which is extremely harmful for such diseases, can be formed.
11. If we talk about wild rabbits, then more than half of their entire world population lives in North America. The local rabbits practically do not differ from the others in appearance, but they lead a very special way of life. They never dig holes for themselves, they feel great on wetlands, they swim well, some can deftly move through trees. Almost all American rabbits live alone, in this they look like hares. In the rest of the world, rabbits live exclusively in burrows and in groups.
12. For their size - up to half a meter in length and 2 kg of weight - wild rabbits are excellently developed physically. They can jump one and a half meters in height, cover a distance of 3 meters in a jump and accelerate to 50 km / h. A powerful blow with double hind legs, ending in sharp claws, sometimes allows the rabbit to escape from an almost victorious predator.
13. Sometimes you can come across the statement that if rabbits are allowed to reproduce uncontrollably, then in a few decades they will fill the entire Earth. In fact, this is a purely mathematical calculation, and even based on the rate of reproduction of rabbits with artificial breeding. Scientists who have been observing wild rabbits for many years note that rabbits do not reproduce as actively in the wild. The reproduction rate is influenced by a variety of factors, and one rabbit can give birth to 10 and only one rabbit per year. In favorable Australia and New Zealand, females give up to 7 litters per year, and on the island of San Juan, which is similar in climate and vegetation, the breeding season does not last even three months, and one rabbit gives 2 - 3 litters per year.
14. Rabbits are extremely sensitive and vulnerable animals. If it were not for their unique ability to reproduce, they would have become extinct long ago in the world in which humans live next to them. It is unlikely that there are other animals in nature that can literally die from a minor fright. Boas and other snakes do not hypnotize rabbits - they freeze with fear. When in 2015, at the junction of the borders of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, a species was discovered, which was later called the "Annam striped rabbit", scientists were surprised not so much by its find - they had met the carcasses of this rabbit in local markets before. Biologists were amazed that rabbits survived in a region literally infested with snakes. Their domestic brethren are afraid of drafts and overheating, too high and too low humidity, and even very poorly tolerate the transition from one type of food to another. The list of diseases to which decorative rabbits are susceptible takes at least half of any book about caring for them.
15. Despite all their fragility, even domestic rabbits, left unattended, can do a lot of things. The most harmless thing is torn things and traces of life. But wires, furniture, and the rabbit itself may suffer if it gets to something from the list of contraindicated foods, for example, salted nuts. In addition, young rabbits do not really appreciate the height to which they can jump. Sometimes, not calculating this height, they can painfully fall on their backs and die from injury or painful shock.
16. Perhaps the most famous work of world literature with the word “rabbit” in the title is the novel by American writer John Updike, “Rabbit, Run,” published in 1960. The tedious thousand-page narrative of a basketball player seeking himself between relationships with two women helped to unleash American conservatives. They saw in the novel the propaganda of unrestrained extramarital relations - the hero, in the course of the action, entered into an intimate relationship with two women. In those years in the United States, you could get a prison term for this. Updike gave his character the nickname "Rabbit" because of his appearance - Harry Angstrom's upper lip lifted, revealing his upper front teeth - but, to a greater extent, because of his indecisive, almost cowardly nature. The campaign to ban the novel "Rabbit Run" was a success for Updike. The book became a bestseller, was filmed, the writer created four more sequels. And they tried to ban "Rabbit" in some US states back in the 1980s.
17. "Rabbit Great International" - this is the name of the annual competition of rabbits and later joined hamsters, guinea pigs, rats and mice, held in the British Harrogate. These competitions are seriously called the Olympics. Rabbits do more than just run and jump. A special competent jury evaluates their exterior, gracefulness and agility. Competition in Harrogate looks like a competition for aristocrats against the backdrop of the rabbit race in Burgess Hill since the 1920s. There, lean, trained wild rabbits simply race along the distance with obstacles for a while, and the use of the smells of wild animals is considered doping - rabbits must compete solely of their own free will, for a treat, and not out of fear of predators.
18. English historian David Chandler described a situation in which Napoleon Bonaparte himself had to flee from rabbits. After the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit, Napoleon decided to organize a grandiose rabbit hunt. In those days, rabbits were not considered a serious hunting trophy, a pair of eared ones could be shot only for the company to the “main” game. However, it is not accepted to challenge the orders of the emperors. The head of Bonaparte's personal office, Alexander Berthier, ordered his men to catch as many - several thousand - rabbits as possible. Due to lack of time, Berthier's subordinates took the path of least resistance. They bought rabbits from the surrounding peasants. There was an embarrassment - the rabbits released from their cages at the beginning of the hunt did not start scattering to the sides, substituting themselves under the bullets, but ran to the people. Indeed, for domestic rabbits, man was not an enemy, but a source of food. Chandler is an Englishman, he describes what happened solely as a comic case - his rabbits attacked Napoleon with two converging columns, etc. In fact, the emperor, annoyed by the turmoil and rabbits getting under his feet, simply left for Paris.
19. Mother-rabbits, especially young ones, sometimes may not accept the newly born offspring. At the same time, they not only ignore the babies that have just appeared, but also scatter them around the cage and may even eat small rabbits. The mechanism of this behavior is not fully understood. It was noticed that this is most often done by young mothers, for whom okrol is the first - they simply do not understand that their status has changed. It is also possible that the bunny instinctively senses that the bunnies were born small and weak, and their chances of survival are minimal.Finally, the behavior of the rabbit can be influenced by external factors - too cold air, loud noises, the close presence of people or predators. In theory, young rabbits can be saved from their mother by transplanting them to another rabbit. However, you need to act quickly, accurately and skillfully.
20. Despite their quite decent appearance and playful habits, rabbits are not as often as other animals become objects of attention of cartoonists. The superstars are undoubtedly Bugs Bunny (and his beloved Bonnie) from Warner Bros. and Walt Disney's Oswald Rabbit. The world knows the Roger Rabbit from the fantastic comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?, created by Richard Williams. The rest of the famous animated rabbits are nothing more than the actors of the episode, like the Rabbit from the cycle of fairy tales about Winnie the Pooh and his friends.
