Blanc de Hotot
T
he Blanc de Hotot is one of the recognized breeds by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). It is a medium sized rabbit and was originally bred in Hotot-en-Auge, Normandy, France in the early 1900s. Since then, the breed spread throughout Europe and into North America. At first, these rabbits were not quite popular in the United States but it’s not until the World War II Era that its population started on declining. Well, soon enough, it began to spread again in the 1960s and 1970s, and was re-imported to the US in 1978. Today it is recognized by the British Rabbit Council and the American Rabbit Breeders Association, but is considered globally endangered, with a listing of "threatened" status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. |
The Blanc de Hotot is a compact, stocky white rabbit with spectacle-like black rings around each dark eyes which sports a body size no more than 1⁄8 to 1⁄4inch wide. It also has a wide chest, a short neck and a well-muscled fore and hind quarters. Initially, the black eye bands were not part of the breed standard, which instead described black eyelashes and gray lower eyelids. The fur has a large number of guard hairs, which create a sheen indicative of frost. Bucks weigh 8 to 10 pounds and does 9 to 11 pounds. When it comes to exhibits, dewlaps that are present in Bucks are being penalized, so most of the time, the females are the one being showed. |
As mentioned above, the rabbit was developed in Hotot-en-Auge, Normandy, France by Eugenie Bernhard, a noted rabbit breeder. She carefully use selective cross breeding of certain desired white and black rabbits which is suitable for both meat and fur production. Such cross breeding enabled Bernhard to produce the Checkered Giant, White Vienna and White Flemish Giant rabbits and by 1912, produced what is recognized as the first Blanc de Hotot rabbit.
The Blanc de Hotot is considered globally endangered, and is listed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy at "threatened" status, meaning they have a global population of less than 1,000 and less than 100 registrations in the US each year. |