World's largest rabbit missing, presumed stolen

If you should see someone walking around central England with a 4-foot-long (1.2 meters) rabbit in tow, call the authorities. That rabbit may be Darius — the current record holder for the world's largest rabbit — who went missing from his Worcestershire home last weekend.

"It is believed the Continental Giant rabbit was stolen from its enclosure in the garden of the property of its owners overnight on Saturday (10 April - 11 April)," the local West Mercia Police said in a statement. "The rabbit is quite unique in the fact it is 4ft in size and has been awarded a Guinness Record for being the biggest rabbit in the world."

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Darius was awarded his impressive title in April, 2010. At the time, he measured a whopping 4 feet 3 inches (129 cm) long — a true titan, even among his species.

Darius is a Flemish Giant rabbit, which is the largest breed of rabbit on Earth. According to the Maryland Zoo, an average Flemish Giant can weigh about 15 pounds (7 kilograms) and measure 2.5 feet (0.76 m) long. They are a domesticated breed, originally bred for meat and fur beginning at least 300 years ago.

Today, Flemish Giants are largely raised as companion animals. Annette Edwards, Darius' owner, called her prize-winning bunny "very laid-back" in a 2015 interview, adding that giant rabbits are even easier to raise than smaller breeds, because they act "more like dogs" than flighty, burrowing rabbits from the wild.

Edwards is offering a reward of 1,000 British pounds (roughly $1,400) for Darius' safe return.

Originally published on Live Science.