For some reason the Angora Rabbit always seems to come up while I am searching for new animal species to write about. Well, almost 800 Wild Facts later and we are finally going to learn about this large, domesticated rabbit. Why did I wait so long? I think a part of me felt bad that we created such a large breed simply for the purpose of obtaining it’s fur. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the only animal we have created for our own selfish purposes but the creation of the Angora Rabbit always made me a little sad for some reason. Perhaps it has to do with my long lost pets, Furball and Gizmo, who were awesome little rabbit. Regardless of my feelings, let’s take a closer look at this man-made creation, shall we?
French Royalty
The Angora Rabbit has a long history and believe it or not is one of the oldest types of domesticated rabbits. This particular species of rabbit was extremely popular with French royalty way back in the mid-eighteenth century. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t until the 20th century that they made their way across the pond to North America but I guess it is better late than never as I am sure these large, fluffy animals make great pets. There are numerous individual breeds of Angora Rabbits, however, only 4 our recognized by the Angora Rabbit Breeders Association. These include the English, French, Satin and of course the Giant Angora Rabbit.
Angora Wool is Softer Than Cashmere
As I alluded to earlier, the Angora Rabbit was originally bred for their soft, Angora wool. Believe it or not, the wool from this domesticated rabbit is actually softer than the popular cashmere – no wonder we created this rabbit. While this may be an interesting sight to see, their fur is usually collected by shearing, combing or simply plucking. Due to the softness, silky feel of angora wool, it is quite popular for use in products such as sweaters, suitings, knitting yarn and felting (if you click the felting link, it will take you the Wikipedia page…I had no clue what “felting was”). Regardless of whether it is right or wrong for humans to play God for our own gains, we actually created an interesting breed of rabbit and I just hope they are able to live a long, healthy life.
Top Photo Credit: Betty Chu
