Fat German Rabbits to Feed Poor: Monster Bunnies For North Korea
An east German pensioner who breeds rabbits the size of dogs has been asked by North Korea to help set up a big bunny farm to alleviate food shortages in the communist country. Now journalists and rabbit gourmets from around the world are thumping at his door.
It all started when Karl Szmolinsky won a prize for breeding Germany’s largest rabbit, a friendly-looking 10.5 kilogram “German Gray Giant” called Robert, in February 2006.
Images of the chubby monster went around the world and reached the reclusive communist state of North Korea, a country of 23 million which according to the United Nations Food Programme suffers widespread food shortages and where many people “struggle to feed themselves on a diet critically deficient in protein, fats and micronutrients.”
They’re actually trying to feed their people? I don’t believe it. Christopher Hitchens says he saw people eating bark off trees, and that he was served dog. He said the country appeared like an attempt to implement 1984 in total.
And I saw a dolt on the news, yesterday, who swears he saw the hand of god save his life in a tornado. Whoop-de-doo!
Apocrypha is good for family picnics and bar fights, Mike. Do folks in the DPRK suffer from famine? You betcha. Do they sometimes use tree bark as part of their diet? Probably. So do First Nation North Americans in some forested areas. I’ve used the bark of Black Birch as seasoning — have you ever drunk birch beer? Do they sometimes eat dog? Sadly, yes. So do South Koreans. So do many East Asians.
Just because everyone else in the world doesn’t Supersize their lives doesn’t make their diet automatically suspect. Fact is, the first thing any Westerner can do to live longer is remove 30% of the calories from their life.
And rabbit is terrific, btw. I prefer many French recipes for the critter. Juniper berries rock.
And I saw a dolt on the news, yesterday, who swears he saw the hand of god save his life in a tornado. Whoop-de-doo!
Apocrypha is good for family picnics and bar fights, Mike. Do folks in the DPRK suffer from famine? You betcha. Do they sometimes use tree bark as part of their diet? Probably. So do First Nation North Americans in some forested areas. I’ve used the bark of Black Birch as seasoning — have you ever drunk birch beer? Do they sometimes eat dog? Sadly, yes. So do South Koreans. So do many East Asians.
Just because everyone else in the world doesn’t Supersize their lives doesn’t make their diet automatically suspect. Fact is, the first thing any Westerner can do to live longer is remove 30% of the calories from their life.
And rabbit is terrific, btw. I prefer many French recipes for the critter. Juniper berries rock.
To turn carbohydrates and cellulose into protein quickly, cheaply, and easily is a great idea. I would think that any country that has the smarts to design and build a nuclear reactor can’t be totally stupid.
Are you sure that that is real and not something photo shopped.
Better the people we’ll eventually nuke than the Chinese restrauant down the street.
Why does no one put the condition of North Koreans on other Asian countries? The condition of white people in eastern European nations was put on western Europe and the United States in the 90s?
I rather eat this bunny…
I’d rather that bunny not eat and lose a few pounds.
What a wonderfully noble idea! By all means let’s all help feed the North Koreans – with something in their bellies, they will be far less inclined to revolt and overthrow their psychotic dwarf despot, for which, you may be assured, he will be grateful.
The road to Hell & cetera, & cetera…
Um, unsure that it helps. Perhaps such a rabbit its more than an average north korean! I mean, the head of this rabbit looks even bigger than the head of this east german guy!
Everytime I see the different pics of this rabbit all I can think of is that 1950’s movie, shot in Ajo, Arizona called ***Night of the Lepus***….it freaks me out.
The article I saw in the London times mentioned that the amount of food you have to feed this rabbit would most likely make it impossible for a nation already suffereing from massive food shortages to raise them. But, their Dear Leader is a total fruitcake, so why not.
That rabbit looks suspiciously like the giant cat from a few years ago.
Yeah that tree bark was just Korean culture. It has nothing to do with the Potemkin country and its ruling army denying food to its people. The population is shrinking, both in numbers and in actual size. However, with those nukes, theres really nothing to be done there than let another 10 million die.
That bunny doesn’t really look real to me. I have two pet bunnies that I got a few months ago and I have been trying to keep them healthy and happy. I never knew much about rabbits, so I researched the subject – particularly how to keep them healthy and their history. I was suprised to read that rabbits are not native to Brittain – they were brought there by the Normans during the conquest and they did it because it was an easy way to produce meat and keep it fresh. Ever heard of a rabbit warren? It’s an interesting story and maybe the N. Koreans could do something like that. Still, wouldn’t you think they would have had a chance to consider that already? Rabbits still need to be fed to grow, and maybe N. Korea is short on what it would take to grow them. Once you tame an animal and make a pet out of it, it’s impossible to consider eating them. Still, I get lots of comments from coworkers about how to cook them. I feed mine an apple every morning for nutrition and a treat and they are getting nice and chubby. I’m sure they would taste very good, but I’d rather watch them jump around and do cute bunny things, pet their soft warm fur. That’s what pets are for. (We’re all allergice to cats and dogs or we would probably not have gone this route.) It has been a bit of a challenge. Rabbits can be fragile and are susceptible to many dangers and health threats. I’m not one of those PETA folks and don’t have anything against hunters, but I do believe that animals should not be allowed to suffer and if an animal is killed it should be used for food and by products. Not just killed for fun by some idiot who gets a thrill out of it.
The problem I see with trying to feed people on rabbit is that you can’t digest them alone… you need carbohydrates to digest their protein. And what do rabbits eat? All the carbo and greens they can get. Which leaves you with an indigestible dinner. There are many stories of explorers trying to subsist on rabbit, and they starved. Bad choice for a hungry population.
Just my two cents,
Peg
THAT RABBITS HUGE.
That rabbit is HUGE! I cant believe it!
that is definitly a fake rabbit.
That raffit is HUGE!!! where can i find one…I want to house train it. REALLY no joke!