Herman the Giant Bunny Rabbit
Netlore Archive: Emailed image of a very large 'German Giant' rabbit named Herman, in the arms of his owner, Hans Wagner.
Description: Viral image
Circulating since: Feb 2006
Status: Authentic
Example:
Email contributed by Charlotte B., April 11, 2006:
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Subject: FW: FW: Now that's an Easter Bunny!! He weighs in at 22 pounds and measures a little over 3 feet. he is a breed of rabbit called german giant (how appropriate!). This is his owner, Hans Wagner, struggling to hold him up. from the NY Post article: We don't feed him an unusual diet said Wagner. He goes through more than his brothers and sisters, but he eats the same food mix. His favorite food is actually lettuce. He can never get enough of it. LOOK AT THOSE FEET!  Click to Enlarge |
Analysis: The above image has appeared in a number of newspapers in the U.S. and abroad, all of which attest to its authenticity while reporting somewhat inconsistent measurements for the giant bunny depicted.
I was able to find very little information on the "German Giant" breed of rabbit, though online sources confirm that full-grown specimens of the British and Flemish variants of the breed can indeed weigh up to 10 kg. (22 lbs.).
Even at the higher figure, Herman appears to fall just short of being the largest bunny on record, pound for pound. In 2004, the BBC ran a story on a British Giant named Roberto, who stood a few inches taller than Herman and tipped the scales, allegedly, at a whopping 35 lbs. A spokesperson for the Guinness Book of World Records, which no longer issues official titles for such categories, was quoted as saying Roberto was the biggest rabbit they'd ever heard of.
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Sources and further reading:
Herman Could Be 'Biggest Bunny'
BBC News, 3 February 2006Monster Is Bigs Bunny
The Sun, February 2006Giant Rabbit Is Brought to Book
BBC News, 14 July 2004
Last updated: 04/13/06
