Bad Bunnies and Good

"Do I have to? "

Photo by Renee Jones Scheider

The Random Animal, as the Year of the Rabbit approaches its end, has been a very bad bunny. Books and Reviews have been neglected for (tempting to say making little bunnies) eating chocolate and watching Republican Presidential candidates turn on themselves like Angry Birds with bad aim. (Does that make Democrats little piggies threatening nest eggs?) Soon the Year of the Dragon ensues, with a blaze of new resolutions and new reviews. So says Bad Bunny.
Good bunnies did thrive in 2011 and continue to abound in 2012. Rabbits with a keen focus and a competitive edge (maybe) participate in agility trials, as reported in a December StarTribune article on the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society.  Rabbits can be trained to hop, skip, and jump through a course, contingent on their will and owners' patience. As one lapine coach explained, "getting them to listen to directions takes a long time. Some want to, and some say, 'I don't want to, thank you.' It's like a 2-year-old child. 'I know exactly what you're telling me, but I'm not necessarily going to do it.'" Most human/animal relationships depend on trust, and food, or the trust that there will be food--also true of many human/human situations. Rabbits are prey near the bottom of the mammalian food chain, though the ones that enjoy plants in my backyard don't seem to realize they should Be afraid, be Very Afraid. They've seen the dog, which did not come down to facing death, and have become quite fat in their sense of entitlement.
 Back to the athletes, rabbit racing is very popular in Europe, according to the StarTribune article, and you can watch Danish champions in action above (including some heart-to-fur conferences).  Warning: it's intense (for someone).

For more serious warnings with rabbit images, and you can turn to The New York Times on "Leaving Animals out of the Cosmetics Picture." Yes, there's a history of testing potentially noxious substances on the delicate membranes of living rabbits, rats, and the iconic guinea pig. What I hadn't realized is that you can buy a product with a label claiming it was not tested on animals. But that claim does not cover testing of the individual ingredients of the product.  (Also, it seems you can hire an outsider, a "hit lab," to do the dirty work.) Animal protectionists are promoting the "Leaping Bunny Logo." Leaping Bunny is "a program run by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, licenses a rabbit logo to companies the organization has certified as cruelty-free. It also provides consumers with a list of these companies."
So remember the leaping bunny when you want to buy ethical lipstick or when you raise your sights to international sports competition.
Next: from rabbits on hurdles to cats on leashes...