Rabbit and Man
Before the 16th century, rabbits were domesticated by French monasteries
to help increase the production of meat. Selective breeding was done and
thus numerous breeds of rabbits had been established. Earlier records of
the existence of the rabbits were found in Spain about 1100 B.C giving
them the name “shephan” assuming that they are of one the hyrax and
naming the land “i-
shephan-im” which later came to be Hispania in Latin translation.
The Romans reproduced rabbits for convenience because of their meat to
feed the army. The Romans played a vital role in their spread as they
introduced it to different islands. The rabbits’ reproduction rate is
high and in most cases or places, the rabbits would have to be rid of.
In the Middles Ages, rabbit hunting had become a popular sport. The
rabbits pelt was favored in England in the 11th century other than its
meat. Since the rabbits are adaptable to varying climate conditions, it
lives wherever it is taken. It had made its way and established
themselves in places like Australia, Chile and Antarctic.
Myxomatosis was a disease that Old World rabbits, or the European
rabbits, commonly got and die of. In 1942, it was said that the disease
was transmitted by mosquitoes and other flying insects. When the disease
was at its peak, a large amount of money was lost by countries that
breed rabbits for its meat, like France, and those that sold its pelt.
Many European countries sold rabbits’ pelts in large numbers.
Fortunately, this disease is not common in domestic rabbits. The wild
rabbits are immune to this disease and since rabbits populate mostly
anywhere, man might again be facing a problem of how to control its
population.
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