The biggest rabbit exhibition in Estonia’s history has been taking place in Järva County, bringing breeders from all three Baltic states to show off their purebreds.
A total of 200 rabbits representing 28 breeds were gathered at the Peetri community house near Paide, for the event, “Aktuaalne kaamera” reported.
Estonia has many hobby breeders, and breeding is growing here.
On Friday, the first day of the exhibition, internationally recognized expert Markus Eber came all the way from Germany to evaluate whether the pedigree rabbits brought to the show meet international standards.
This included looking at overall appearance, ear shape, and fur length, among other attributes.
Specimens were not permitted to be over- or underweight, for example.
At the same time, the evaluation was just that, to take the temperature of the overall rabbit breeding scene in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. No prizes and rankings were given out this time.
“This isn’t about coming here to find out who is the very best,” said president of the national rabbit breeders’ association Liina Elken. “The broader goal is to learn the overall level of rabbits bred in Estonia.”
“These animals are not just pets. They are breeding rabbits. While rabbits in Estonia are also raised for meat, some may later become pets,” she added. “If a family comes here tomorrow with small kids and the children want a bunny, they can take one home. Then the rabbit becomes a family pet,” she went on.
“A rabbit is not like a cat or dog,” breeder Anneli Prits from Tartu told “Aktuaalne kaamera.” “They might bite. They might not like being held. They are more independent. They are altogether a bit different.”
Some rare breeds were also on display. One hobby breeder from Võru County, Marina Klaus, introduced one example. “My favorites are Flemish Giant rabbits. I came to the show to evaluate my rabbits, show the public how beautiful they are, and enjoy the atmosphere. They are adorable animals,” she went on.
The show ran until Sunday afternoon.
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