Editing Cuniculture (section)

==History==

===Early husbandry===
An abundance of ancient rabbits may have played a part in the naming of Spain. [[Phoenicia]]n sailors visiting its coast around the 12th century BC mistook the [[European rabbit]] for the familiar [[rock hyrax]] (''Procavia capensis'') of their homeland. They named their discovery {{lang|phn-Latn|i-shepan-ham}}, meaning 'land [or island] of hyraxes'. A theory exists (though it is somewhat controversial){{citation needed|date=February 2018}} that a corruption of this name used by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] became ''[[Hispania]]'', the [[Latin]] name for the [[Iberian Peninsula]].<ref name=Anthon>{{cite book|last1=Anthon|first1=Charles|title=A System of Ancient and Mediæval Geography, for the Use of Schools and Colleges|date=1850|publisher=Harper & Brothers|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1lDAAAAIAAJ|access-date=21 February 2018}}</ref>

Domestication of the European rabbit rose slowly from a combination of game-keeping and [[animal husbandry]]. Among the numerous foodstuffs imported by sea to Rome during her domination of the Mediterranean were shipments of rabbits from Spain.<ref name=Whitman>{{cite book|last=Whitman|first=Bob D.|title=Domestic Rabbits & Their Histories: Breeds of the World|date=October 2004|publisher=Leathers Publishing|location=Leawood KS|isbn=978-1585972753}}</ref>{{rp|450}} Romans also imported [[ferrets]] for rabbit hunting, and the Romans then distributed rabbits and the habit of rabbit keeping to the rest of Italy, to [[France]], and then across the Roman Empire, including the [[British Isles]].<ref name="Dunlop">{{cite book|last1=Dunlop|first1=Robert H.|title=Veterinary Medicine: An Illustrated History|year=1996|publisher=Mosby|location=St Louis, MO|isbn=0-8016-3209-9|last2=Williams|first2=David J.}}</ref>{{rp|42}} Rabbits were kept in both walled areas as well as more extensively in game-preserves. In the British Isles, these preserves were known as warrens or {{lang|ang|garths}}, and rabbits were known as {{lang|ang|coneys}}, to differentiate them from the similar [[hare]]s.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|342–343}} The term warren was also used as a name for the location where hares, [[partridges]] and [[pheasants]] were kept, under the watch of a game keeper called a warrener. In order to confine and protect the rabbits, a wall or thick hedge might be constructed around the warren, or a warren might be established on an island.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|341–344}} A warrener was responsible for controlling poachers and other predators and would collect the rabbits with snares, nets, hounds (such as [[greyhounds]]), or by hunting with ferrets.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|343}} With the rise of [[falconry]], [[hawk]]s and [[falcon]]s were also used to collect rabbits and hares.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

===Domestication===
While under the warren system, rabbits were managed and harvested, but not domesticated. The practice of rabbit domestication also came from Rome. Christian [[monasteries]] throughout Europe and the Middle East kept rabbits since at least the 5th century. While rabbits might be allowed to wander freely within the monastery walls, a more common method was the employment of rabbit courts or rabbit pits. A rabbit court was a walled area lined with brick and cement, while a pit was similar, although less well-lined and more sunken.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|347–350}} Individual boxes or burrow-spaces could line the wall. Rabbits would be kept in a group in these pits or courts, and individuals collected when desired for eating or pelts. Rabbit keepers transferred rabbits to individual hutches or pens for easy cleaning, handling, or for selective breeding, as pits did not allow keepers to perform these tasks. Hutches or pens were originally made of wood, but are now more frequently made of metal in order to allow for better sanitation.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bennett|first=Bob|title=Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits: Breeds, Care, Housing|year=2009|publisher=Storey Publishing|location=North Adams, MA|isbn=978-1-60342-456-1|pages=45–49}}</ref>

===Early breeds===
[[Image:Fotothek df tg 0002841 Gastronomie ^ Esskultur ^ Tischsitte ^ Speise ^ Zubereitung.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of cuts of rabbit meat by Georg Philipp Harsdörffer (1657)|245px]]
Rabbits were typically kept as part of the household livestock by peasants and villagers throughout Europe. Husbandry of the rabbits, including collecting weeds and grasses for fodder, typically fell to the children of the household or farmstead. These rabbits were largely 'common' or 'meat' rabbits and not of a particular breed, although regional strains and types did arise. Some of these strains remain as regional breeds, such as the [[Gotland rabbit|Gotland]] of Sweden,<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|190}} while others, such as the Land Kaninchen, a spotted rabbit of Germany, have become extinct.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|15}} Another rabbit type that standardized into a breed was the Brabancon, a meat rabbit of the region of [[Limbourg]] and what is now Belgium. Rabbits of this breed were bred for the [[Ostend]] port market, destined for London markets.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|10}} The development of the refrigerated shipping vessels led to the eventual collapse of the European meat rabbit trade, as the over-populated feral rabbits in Australia could now be harvested and sold.<ref>{{cite web|last=Druett|first=Joan|title=Chapter Eight — Living with embarrassment: the rabbit|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-DruExot-t1-body1-d9.html|work=Exotic Invaders|publisher=New Zealand Electronic Text Collection|access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref> The Brabancon is now considered extinct, although a descendant, the [[Dutch rabbit|Dutch]] breed, remains a popular small rabbit for the pet trade.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|9}}

In addition to being harvested for meat, properly prepared rabbit pelts were also an economic factor. Both wild rabbits and domestic rabbit pelts were valued, and it followed that pelts of particular rabbits would be more highly prized. As far back as 1631, price differentials were noted between ordinary rabbit pelts and the pelts of quality 'riche' rabbit in the [[Champagne (province)|Champagne]] region of France. (This regional type would go on to be recognized as the {{lang|fr|Champagne D'Argent}}, the 'silver rabbit of Champagne'.)<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|68}}

Among the earliest of the commercial breeds was the [[Angora rabbit|Angora]], which some say may have developed in the [[Carpathian Mountains]]. They made their way to England, where during the rule of [[King Henry VIII]], laws banned the exportation of long-haired rabbits as they were a national treasure. In 1723, long haired rabbits were imported to southern France by English sailors, who described the animals as originally coming from the [[Angora, Turkey|Angora region]] of [[Turkey]]. Thus two distinct [[Strain (biology)|strains]] arose, one in France and one in England.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|48–49}}

===Expansion around the globe===
European explorers and sailors took rabbits with them to new ports around the world, and brought new varieties back to Europe and England with them. With the [[second voyage of Christopher Columbus]] in 1494, European domestic livestock were brought to the [[New World]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Virginia DeJohn|title=Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America|url=https://archive.org/details/creaturesofempir00ande|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-530446-6|page=97|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Rabbits, along with goats and other hardy livestock, were frequently released on islands to produce a food supply for later ships.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|151–152}} The importations occasionally met with disastrous results, such as in the [[Rabbits in Australia|devastation in Australia]]. While cattle and horses were used across the socio-economic spectrum, and especially were concentrated among the wealthy, rabbits were kept by lower-income classes and peasants. This is reflected in the names given to the breeds that eventually arose in the colonized areas. From the Santa Duromo mountains of Brazil{{citation needed|date=August 2020|reason=No mountains in Brazil with that name}} comes the Rustico, which is known in the United States as the [[Brazilian domestic rabbit|Brazilian rabbit]].<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|115}} The Criollo rabbit comes from Mexico.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|139}}

===International commercial use===
With the rise of scientific animal breeding in the late 1700s, led by [[Robert Bakewell (agriculturalist)|Robert Bakewell]]{{clarify|date=August 2020|reason=Is the correct Robert Bakewell linked?}} (among others), distinct livestock breeds were developed for specific purposes.<ref name=Dunlop/>{{rp|354–355}}
[[File:Rabbit skins.jpg|thumb|left|A wagon-load of rabbit skins in [[Walcha, New South Wales]], Australia (1905)|320px]] Rabbits were among the last of the domestic animals to have these principles applied to them, but the rabbit's rapid reproductive cycle allowed for marked progress towards a breeding goal in a short period of time. Additionally, rabbits could be kept on a small area, with a single person caring for over 300 breeding does on an acre of land.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|120}} Rabbit breeds were developed by individuals, cooperatives, and by national breeding centers. To meet various production goals, rabbits were exported around the world. One of the most notable import events was the introduction of the [[Belgian Hare]] breed of rabbit from Europe to the United States, beginning in 1888.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|86}} This led to a short-lived "boom" in rabbit breeding, selling, and speculation, when a quality breeding animal could bring $75 to $200. (For comparison, the average daily wage at the time was approximately $1.)<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|88}} In 1900, a single animal-export company recorded 6,000 rabbits successfully shipped to the United States and Canada.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|90}}
[[Image:Farmrabbits.jpg|thumb|right|Meat-type rabbits were raised for supplementary food in the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s.|350px]]

Science played another role in rabbit raising, this time with rabbits themselves as the tools used for scientific advancement. Beginning with [[Louis Pasteur]]'s experiments in [[rabies]] in the later half of the nineteenth century, rabbits have been used as models to investigate various medical and biological problems, including the transmission of disease and protective [[antiserum]]s.<ref name=Dunlop/>{{rp|377}} Production of quality animals for meat sale and scientific experimentation has driven a number of advancements in rabbit husbandry and nutrition. While early rabbit keepers were limited to local and seasonal foodstuffs, which did not permit the maximization of production, health or growth, by 1930 researchers were conducting experiments in rabbit nutrition, similar to the experiments that had isolated vitamins and other nutritional components.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|376}} This eventually resulted in the development of various recipes for [[Pellet feed|pelleted rabbit diets]]. Gradual refinement of diets has resulted in the widespread availability of pelleted feeds, which increase yield, reduce waste, and promote rabbit health, particularly maternal breeding health.<ref name=Templeton>{{cite book|last=Templeton|first=George S.|title=Domestic Rabbit Production|year=1968|publisher=The Interstate Printers & Publishers|location=Danville, Illinois}}</ref>{{rp|61–63}}

===Rise of the fancy===
The final leg of rabbit breeding&mdash;beyond meat, wool, fur, and laboratory use&mdash;was the breeding of 'fancy' animals as pets and curiosities. The term 'fancy' was originally applied to long-eared [[Lop rabbit|'lop' rabbits]], as they were the first type to be bred for exhibition.
[[File:Erminia v. Olfers-Batocki (1916).jpg|thumb|left|Cuniculture in Germany in 1916|210px]] Such rabbits were first admitted to agricultural shows in England in the 1820s, and in 1840 a club was formed for the promotion and regulation of exhibitions for "Fancy Rabbits".<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|228}} In 1918, a new group formed to promote the fur breeds, originally just the [[Beveren]] and [[Havana (rabbit)|Havana]] breeds.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

This club eventually expanded to become the [[British Rabbit Council]].<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|441–443}} Meanwhile, in the United States, clubs promoting various breeds were chartered in the 1880s, and the National Pet Stock Association was formed in 1910. This organization would become the [[American Rabbit Breeders Association]].<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|425–429}} Thousands of rabbit shows take place each year and are sanctioned in Canada, Mexico, [[Malaysia]], Indonesia and the United States by ARBA.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hreiz|first=Jay|magazine=Domestic Rabbits|title=Domestic Rabbits|publisher=American Rabbit Breeders Association|date=May–June 2012|volume=40|issue=3|pages=75}}</ref>

With the advent of national-level organizations, rabbit breeders had a framework for establishing breeds and varieties utilizing recognized standards, and breeding for rabbit exhibitions began to expand rapidly. Such organizations and associations were also established across Europe&mdash;most notably in Germany, France, and Scandinavia<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|448}}&mdash;allowing for the recognition of local breeds (many of which shared similar characteristics across national borders) and for the preservation of stock during disruptions such as World War{{nbsp}}I and World War{{nbsp}}II.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Closely overlapping with breeding for exhibition and for fur has been the breeding of rabbits for the pet trade. While rabbits have been kept as companions for centuries, the sale of rabbits as pets began to rise in the last half of the twentieth century. This may have been, in part, because rabbits require less physical space than dogs or cats, and do not require a specialized habitat like [[goldfish]].<ref name=Templeton/>{{rp|17}} Several breeds of rabbit&mdash;such as the [[Holland Lop]], the [[Polish rabbit|Polish]], the [[Netherland Dwarf rabbit|Netherland Dwarf]], and the [[Lionhead rabbit|Lionhead]]&mdash;have been specifically bred for the pet trade. Traits common to many popular pet breeds are small size, "[[dwarf rabbit|dwarf]]" (or [[neotenic]]) features, plush or fuzzy coats, and an array of coat colors and patterns.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

===Modern farming===
Outside of the exhibition circles, rabbit raising remained a small-scale but persistent household and farm endeavor, in many locations unregulated by the rules that governed the production of larger livestock. With the ongoing urbanization of populations worldwide, rabbit raising gradually declined, but saw resurgences in both Europe and North America during World War{{nbsp}}II, in conjunction with [[victory garden]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fish & Wildlife Service|title=Press Release 14 Jan 1943|url=http://www.fws.gov/news/historic/1943/19430114.pdf|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ashbrook|first=Frank G.|title=How To Raise Rabbits for Food and Fur|year=1943|publisher=Orange Judd|location=New York|pages=23–28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=T.|first=A.|title=Some Remarks on the History of the Rabbit in Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11808930|access-date=15 October 2012|newspaper=The Argus|date=1 April 1944}}</ref> Eventually, farmers across Europe and in the United States began to approach cuniculture with the same scientific principles as had already been applied to the production of grains, poultry, and hoofed livestock. National agriculture breeding stations were established to improve local rabbit strains and to introduce more productive breeds. National breeding centers focused on developing strains for production purposes, including meat, pelts, and wool.<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|119}}
[[Image:Achtergevel - Zeist - 20221681 - RCE.jpg|thumb|right|Cuniculture in the Netherlands (1974)|240px]] These gradually faded from prominence in the United States,<ref>{{cite web|last=Beeman|first=Joseph|title=Site of U.S. Rabbit Experimental Station|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=50670|work=Historical Marker Database|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> but remained viable longer in Europe. Meanwhile, rabbit raising for local markets gained prominence in developing nations as an economical means of producing protein. Various aid agencies promote the use of rabbits as livestock.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} The animals are particularly useful in areas where women are limited in employment outside the household, because rabbits can be kept successfully in small areas.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lebas|first=F.|title=The Rabbit: Husbandry, Health and Production|year=1997|publisher=Food Agriculture Organization|location=Rome|chapter-url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690E/t1690e00.htm#Contents|chapter=9|access-date=2012-10-15|archive-date=2009-10-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003103129/http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690e/t1690e00.htm#Contents|url-status=dead}}</ref> These same factors have contributed to the increased popularity of rabbits as "backyard livestock" among [[locavores]] and [[Homesteading|homesteaders]] in more developed countries in North America and Europe. The addition of rabbits to the watchlist of endangered heritage breeds that is kept by [[The Livestock Conservancy]] has also led to increased interest from livestock conservationists. In contrast, throughout Asia (and particularly in China) rabbits are increasingly being raised and sold for export around the world.<ref>{{cite web|last=Foster|first=M.|title=Structure of the Australian Rabbit Industry|url=http://adl.brs.gov.au/data/warehouse/pe_abarebrs99000319/ari96_rabbit.pdf|work=ABARE Report|access-date=15 October 2012|pages=8–9|date=September 1996|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321072751/http://adl.brs.gov.au/data/warehouse/pe_abarebrs99000319/ari96_rabbit.pdf|archive-date=21 March 2012}}</ref>

The World Rabbit Science Association (WRSA), formed in 1976, was established "to facilitate in all possible ways the exchange of knowledge and experience among persons in all parts of the world who are contributing to the advancement of the various branches of the rabbit industry". The WRSA organizes a world conference every four years.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lebas|first=Francois|title=Constitution of the World Rabbit Science Association|url=http://world-rabbit-science.com/index.htm|publisher=World Rabbit Science Association|access-date=21 February 2018}}</ref>

===Present day (2000–present)===
[[File:SB040 Rabbit farming Cuba 1.JPG|thumb|left|Cuniculture at a small farm in Cuba (2015)]]
Approximately 1.2 billion rabbits are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL|title=FAOSTAT|website=www.fao.org|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref> In more recent years and in some countries, cuniculture has come under pressure from [[animal rights activists]] on several fronts. The use of animals, including rabbits, in [[Animal testing|scientific experiments]] has been subject to increased scrutiny in developed countries. Increasing regulation has raised the cost of producing animals for this purpose, and made other experimental options more attractive. Other researchers have abandoned investigations which required animal models.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Abbott|first=Allison|title=Court Orders Temporary Closure of Dog-Breeding Facility|journal=Nature|date=2 August 2012|doi=10.1038/nature.2012.11121|s2cid=159786021|url=http://www.nature.com/news/court-orders-temporary-closure-of-italian-dog-breeding-premises-1.11121|doi-access=free}}</ref> Meanwhile, various rescue groups under the [[House Rabbit Society]] umbrella have taken an increasingly strident stance against any breeding of rabbits (even as food in developing countries) on the grounds that it contributes to the number of mistreated, unwanted or abandoned animals.<ref>{{cite web|title=HRS Activist Corner|url=http://www.rabbit.org/opinion/activist.html|publisher=House Rabbit Society|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Bigger hutch.jpg|thumb|right|Cuniculture in the Czech countryside (2007)|190px]] The growth of homesteaders and [[smallholder]]s has led to the rise of visibility of rabbit raisers in geographic areas where they have not been previously present. This has led to zoning conflicts over the regulation of butchering and waste management. Conflicts have also arisen with House Rabbit Society organizations as well as [[ethical vegetarian]]s and [[vegans]] concerning the use of rabbits as meat and fur animals rather than as pets.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hottle|first=Molly|title=23 Rabbits Stolen from Portland Meat Collective Farmer|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/01/23_rabbits_stolen_from_portlan.htmlocal/story/Theft-of-rabbits-likely-politically-motivated/VHj8kZaLekaY0A3y-fo31w.cspx|newspaper=The Oregonian|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> Conversely, many homesteaders cite concern with animal welfare in [[intensive farming]] of beef, pork and poultry as a significant factor in choosing to raise rabbits for meat.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}
In August 2022, an animal rights campaign group in the UK called "Shut Down T&S Rabbits" succeeded in closing down a network of rabbit meat and fur farms across the East Midlands region.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://corporatewatch.org/interview-how-we-shut-down-ts-rabbit-breeders/ | title=Interview: How we shut down T&S rabbit breeders | date=September 2022 }}</ref>


The specific future direction of cuniculture is unclear, but does not appear to be in danger of disappearing in any particular part of the world. The variety of applications, as well as the versatile utility of the species, appears sufficient to keep rabbit raising a going concern in one aspect or another around the planet.{{vague|date=August 2020}}{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}