Mellerud Rabbit

Animals in the Little Zoo

Hard bull

Rabbits are social animals that live together in colonies on grasslands among hills and bushes.
They live in their own burrows underground and are joined by other rabbits in the same area.
They spend a lot of their time foraging, grazing, improving their tunnels and burrows, and resting and grooming their mates.

Rabbits resting together may sometimes tuck their head under the other's chin. This is an indication of wanting to be groomed by their friend. High-ranking rabbits usually get more grooming than a low-ranking rabbit.

At Parken Zoo, we have rabbits of the Mellerudskanin breed. It is a Swedish landrace that was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in the early 1900s.
The Mellerud Rabbit is available in two colour sets. Black and white with Dutch markings or albino.
They weigh 3-3.5kg and can live up to 10 years.
In 2011, a conservation programme was launched to preserve the breed with a gene bank certificate.

Parken Zoo participates in the conservation work with Mellerud rabbits.