Shave the bunnies

Ever seen a rabbit being shaved? Me neither until we went to Waitomo.

Without further ado:

Yikes.

Yikes.

People will tell you that the reason for going to Waitomo is to see the world-famous caves, populated by galaxies of luminescent blue glowworms, but the reality is that if you have half an hour you should really go to the Shearing Shed, which is two minutes up the road, is free, and gives you the chance to watch a German Angora rabbit have a shave.

The whole thing was hosted by a pair of middle-aged women, one of whom gave a blow by blow account via a rather unnecessary microphone and speaker assembly. We met Garth, an enormous Angora rabbit, who belatedly realised what was about to happen and scrabbled around frantically on the smooth shearing table, desperately trying to find enough grip to scoot free. It was too late, and before long he was stretched out on the table by four elasticated cables.

Angora rabbits, it was pointed more than once, die if they're left unsheared during the summer, but there's little more pitiful than watching a sad rabbit go from the size of a fluffy hatchback to that of a small dog. Still, you can always buy a sweater on the way out.

Dave StevensonComment