The sheep have to hop to it for this bunny ...
Source: Agencies |
February 4, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHAMPIS the bunny doesn't only hop - he also knows how to herd his owners' flock of sheep, possibly picking up on the skill after watching dogs do the job.
The five-year-old pet rabbit from the village of Kal in northern Sweden shot to fame last week, garnering more than 700,000 YouTube hits for a clip of his sheepherding skills.
The video shows a persistent Champis running back and forth on the farm, trying to keep Nils-Erik and Greta Vigren's sheep together.
Dan Westman, a sheepdog breeder who shot and posted the video of his friends' remarkable bunny, said he was in awe when he first witnessed the phenomenon.
"It's really incredible, it's a herding rabbit," he said. "He rounds them up, and if they get close to escaping through the gate he sometimes stops them.
"I work with sheepdogs and know how hard this is. There are very few dogs that could do what this rabbit does."
Westman said the beige bunny had never been trained for the job but seemed to have learned all on his own.
"He's probably picked some of it up from watching the dogs, I mean he's doing what they do, but then again, he's a bit of a boss out there and lives with the other animals so maybe he just wants to keep them together."
Despite his size, Westman said the sheep seem to pay their minder a world of respect, letting him herd them around when he feels they need moving.
"I don't know what he thinks he is, but he does think he decides out there," Westman said.
The five-year-old pet rabbit from the village of Kal in northern Sweden shot to fame last week, garnering more than 700,000 YouTube hits for a clip of his sheepherding skills.
The video shows a persistent Champis running back and forth on the farm, trying to keep Nils-Erik and Greta Vigren's sheep together.
Dan Westman, a sheepdog breeder who shot and posted the video of his friends' remarkable bunny, said he was in awe when he first witnessed the phenomenon.
"It's really incredible, it's a herding rabbit," he said. "He rounds them up, and if they get close to escaping through the gate he sometimes stops them.
"I work with sheepdogs and know how hard this is. There are very few dogs that could do what this rabbit does."
Westman said the beige bunny had never been trained for the job but seemed to have learned all on his own.
"He's probably picked some of it up from watching the dogs, I mean he's doing what they do, but then again, he's a bit of a boss out there and lives with the other animals so maybe he just wants to keep them together."
Despite his size, Westman said the sheep seem to pay their minder a world of respect, letting him herd them around when he feels they need moving.
"I don't know what he thinks he is, but he does think he decides out there," Westman said.
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