Bunnies in the money!
The TV star rabbits so in demand at Easter they’ve got agents – and make a nest egg for their owners
THERE’S no more appealing reminder that spring has sprung than an Easter bunny... and don’t the shops just know it.
Picture-perfect rabbits are bouncing across TV adverts, Easter egg boxes and hot cross bun packaging.
But the average punter doesn’t realise that these fluffy models are highly trained – and well paid.
Adam Grant, of animal talent agency PetLondon Model says: ‘Getting rabbits to sit still on a photoshoot can be a problem. That’s why we turn to trained models, and that’s why they command such high fees.’
Here we profile the bunnies that bring home the money...
TOM HARDY’S CO-STAR
Topaz, a one-year-old Belgian Hare (actually a fancy breed of rabbit) has earned £1,000.
Owner Nicole Barrett, 31, an interior designer from West London, said: ‘I saw an advert for an animal model agency and signed my bunnies up immediately. Topaz is definitely the star because of her good looks – she’s a stunning mahogany colour, with these beautiful long front legs.
‘Her temperament is perfect for modelling, very affectionate but incredibly chilled out, although if you take her food away she sulks and stomps her back legs.
‘I trained her to pose, placing her in different stances on my kitchen table and rewarding her with her favourite curly kale.
‘Topaz has done the cover shoot of a glossy magazine’s Easter edition, a smartphone advert and even spent two weeks being filmed for the BBC drama Taboo, starring Tom Hardy. Tom told me he thought she was very regal – in one scene she was lying next to the king. She’s only a year old but has already made around £1,000, which helps with my bills, not to mention the cost of curly kale.’
CELEBRITY PARTY GUEST
Darius, a seven- year- old continental giant rabbit, has earned an equally giant £12,000.
Owner Annette Edwardes, 65, a former model who lives in Worcester, said: ‘Years ago I was the face of Nivea. It didn’t occur to me that one of my rabbits would follow in my footsteps.
‘Darius is a record holder too: At 4ft 3in, The Guinness Book of World Records have declared him the world’s biggest bunny.
‘He’s done endless adverts and appearances at parties, including the first birthday party Tamara Ecclestone threw for her daughter Sophia in Kensington. He hung out in a posh pink playpen for the afternoon, basking in the attention.
‘He’s been on Daybreak, This Morning, and even on the Jimmy Carr show, where they popped him on a sofa next to Jimmy dressed in an identical outfit.
‘Television crews flying in from abroad to film him. They can pay up to £1,000 a day, which sounds a lot, but since he munches his way through about 1,000 carrots, 300 apples and all manner of rabbit food each year – not to mention the vet bills – it costs thousands of pounds to keep him.’
DESIGNER CAMPAIGN STAR
Pambe, a three-year-old lionhead rabbit, has earned hundreds for his owner Shirin Bagherzadeh, 31, a student from North London.
She said: ‘I signed him up for a modelling agency a couple of years ago, but he didn’t get his big break until last year when I was told that designer Stella McCartney wanted him for a photoshoot because he was so cute.
‘Her team were doing photos for their Instagram account – every- thing from lingerie shots to perfume and a jacket. He was a star of the shoot and everybody loved him. I’m hoping it’s just the start. He’s learning more every day. He can come to you on command, and will sweetly put his paw on your arm if you ask him.’
THE POSTER BUNNY
Fluffy, a two-year-old Rex rabbit, has earned £2,000 and is owned by Brandon Remington, a financial analyst who lives in London.
Mr Remington, 32, said: ‘A friend mentioned the idea of her modelling. I thought it was hilarious but there was nothing to lose.
‘I didn’t train her, but Fluffy proved more than up to the job and frankly she will do anything for a few slices of mango, her favourite food. Eighteen months on, she has had a few different gigs, from a Body Shop marketing campaign to a fashion shoot for Good Housekeeping magazine.
‘She was recently the “poster bunny” on the American CBS News for a slot about how keeping rabbits was increasingly popular.’