Darius, thought to be the largest rabbit in the world at a humungous four feet, has gone missing from his English home, believed stolen.
It’s a desperately sad update from the normally pleasant world of big celebrity animals. As per The New York Times, big ol’ Darius disappeared from an English village garden last weekend, in a case the local police are treating as suspicious.
Measuring more than four feet and weighing 50 pounds, you’d think it wouldn’t be hard to find him. Darius and his imposing figure recall that mad were-rabbit that terrorised Wallace and Gromit once upon a time. Surely he’d be a match for any possible abductors?
The rabbit’s owner, Annette Edwards, was understandably upset, and has offered a reward of 2,000 pounds for his safe return. “A very sad day,” she wrote in a Twitter post. “Darius is too old to breed now. So please bring him back.”
Darius first rose to fame when he was crowned the world’s longest rabbit by the Guinness World Records a decade ago. Edwards – a former model, incidentally – also enjoyed the success, often appearing at events alongside her prized asset as the infamous cartoon character Jessica Rabbit. When in Rome I guess.
A type of domestic rabbit with the imposing title of a Continental Giant, Darius was insured for $1.6 million and travelled with a bodyguard, according to NBC’s Today Show in a 2010 article.
It’s come at a terrible time for Darius too, who was just beginning to enjoy retirement, making less and less public appearances over the years. Edwards also informed The Telegraph that Darius had to undertake a special diet due to his advanced age and would be in trouble without it.
So if you live near that stretch of English countryside, keep your eyes peeled for a larger-than-life rabbit on the loose. Police are appealing for more information here.
Check out footage of Darius, the world’s largest rabbit:
