Super Zoo-Chapter 619 - 614: Lop-eared Rabbit

Howard proposed four animals, among which the rabbit and the fox are the ’male and female protagonists.’ The Broad-eared Fox had few scenes, but it presented a massive contrast in cuteness: in the script, the Broad-eared Fox and the fox Nick commit cons together. It looked like a three or four-year-old baby on the outside, but in reality, it was an old swindler, modeled after African American hoodlums on the streets of the United States.

Shrews are animals that look very similar to mice but are not related to them at all. They survive by eating earthworms, insects, and the like. Being one of the earliest placental mammals, they arose in the Cretaceous period. The shrew is the smallest mammal in the world, only a few centimeters long and weighing no more than ten grams, making it extremely vulnerable. Yet, in the script, the shrew played the role of a boss, with a group of strong Polar Bear thugs under its command, modeled after The Godfather.

Other important roles in the screenplay included water buffaloes, leopards, sheep, etc., but with limited time, Howard did not make specific requests for each one.

"Please follow me, Director Howard, let’s see if these little guys are up to the task."

First was the search for the rabbit.

There were no common rabbits kept in the zoo, as these small creatures were too ordinary. Previously, when the zoo was financially squeezed, there was no need to spend money on a group of rabbits that could be found at any food market. Later, when the economic conditions improved, Suming spent all his energy finding rare animals. After bringing back a bunch of animals from Iraq, the zoo’s ’beds’ were in short supply. Even large herbivores like deer were released to the wild, let alone common domestic rabbits.

The back hill, however, did have quite a few wild rabbits, which were perpetually chased by packs of dogs in a state of pandemonium. It was hard to say whether they were lucky or unfortunate. The foxes and dogs in the mountains were all natural predators, and the Demonic Domain Taoyuan and the future Savage Taoyuan were even less to be mentioned, inhabited by fierce large creatures. Although they wouldn’t eat the rabbits, wherever they went, they were bullied.

Suming took Howard to the back hill to catch a few wild rabbits, but Howard was not very satisfied with any of them.

The female protagonist rabbit Judy in the movie had a very distinctive look: First of all, her ears were especially long, at least twice as long as a normal rabbit’s. Her body length was about two-thirds the size of an adult fox. The length of the wild rabbits’ ears and their body sizes did not meet the standards. Also, they would reveal their large front teeth if they opened their mouths, but Judy, being a female rabbit, did not have such large front teeth in the movie.

While human actors could undergo plastic surgery for appearances, one couldn’t possibly knock out and file down a rabbit’s front teeth just for a movie shoot, could they? Even if Suming didn’t object, the International Animal Protection Organization would denounce it.

There was another big problem. In the script, rabbit Judy’s ears were supposed to be movable. They typically stood up, but in several scenes, when she was feeling down, her ears drooped. Ordinary rabbits always have their ears standing up, supported by cartilage, making it very difficult for them to droop completely unless their bones were broken.

That was even more impossible.

Trying seven or eight rabbits still didn’t work.

Speaking of the issue with drooping ears, Suming had a sudden inspiration and pulled Howard along to an open grassy area within the park.

This place was originally home to alpacas and camels. Alpacas were too popular and attracted a lot of tourists every time, resulting in almost daily incidents of alpacas spitting at people, causing trouble among adults and kids alike, which was quite annoying. Suming simply relocated them to the back hill.

After the arrival of the Wuguang Oxen, they lived on the grassland with the camels, wandering around the lawn like retired officials, inspecting their surroundings.

Upon closer inspection, there were several fluffy tufts on the lawn, looking like little clumps of grass, lying motionless and lazily basking in the sun.

"Are they suitable?"

Suming squatted down and extended a finger, poking one of the ’grass clumps.’ The fluffy tuft of grass shook slightly, revealing itself to be a living thing.

These little guys were rabbits too, but not just any rabbits—their ears were much longer than those of a regular rabbit, hanging like two cattail fans on either side of their heads.

The legendary lop-eared rabbits, a new breed discovered in the 1970s.

Compared to domestic rabbits, lop-eared rabbits looked even cuter, had longer ears, were more timid, but generally larger in size. An adult lop-eared rabbit could weigh up to 5 jin (about 2.5 kg) and measure 40 centimeters in length, big enough for a very satisfying meal.

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Europe boasted several varieties of lop-eared rabbits, a term that encompassed them all. The few introduced to Yangchuan City Zoo were specifically French lop-eared rabbits.

During the period when live broadcasting platforms became popular, various zoos came to Yangchuan City Zoo to learn from their experience, and these lop-eared rabbits were a gift from a zoo in the south. Since the number was limited, Yangchuan City Zoo didn’t set up a separate rabbit garden; instead, these rabbits were kept together with a group of herbivores. These little guys were quite lazy, preferring to lie down in the sun and sleep away most of the day. The two long ears covering both sides of their heads also covered their eyes, making them invisible to others, and others couldn’t notice them either. At first glance, they resembled mounds of grass, lacking any real presence, which was why even Suming initially forgot about them.

Besides their long ears and larger size, lop-eared rabbits’ incisors weren’t as big as those of regular rabbits. They looked normal but expressed a wider range of emotions and had a very cute appearance, which made them perfect for the role of Judy, the rabbit in the movie.

"Excellent!" Howard gave a thumbs-up, then quickly added, "But their ears are still a big problem... In the movie, the rabbit’s ears are mostly erect..."

The reason why lop-eared rabbits got their name was that their ears hung down. Unlike domestic rabbits, their ears were as soft as boneless, essentially just two pieces of flesh with a bit of muscle.

The ears of a regular domestic rabbit couldn’t hang down, just as the lop-eared rabbits couldn’t keep theirs erect.

"I didn’t expect that the first character would present such a problem. Filming with real animals really isn’t as simple as I had imagined," Howard said, his last shred of hope directed at Suming. The entire basis for their negotiations was that the animals could fulfill the roles. If even the lead character wasn’t suitable, even with post-production special effects, the outcome would be compromised.

"Don’t worry, let me try," Suming said.

He squatted down next to a lop-eared rabbit and curled his finger, "Come on, bunny, stand those ears up!"

The lop-eared rabbit, as if understanding human speech, took a deep breath. Strange gurgling sounds came from its belly as it tried hard to control its own ears.

The two big, floppy ears actually perked up a bit, but after a slight movement, they drooped once again. The lop-eared rabbit shook its head in dismay, as if to say ’I simply can’t do it’.

"Oh, how amazing! Just like the legends say, you’re a magical Beast Tamer!" Howard gave Suming an enthusiastic thumbs-up, then also squatted down and gently encouraged the rabbit, "Come on, bunny, you can do it!"

A surge of spiritual power flowed from Suming, energizing the lop-eared rabbit like a potent tonic. It gathered all its strength and began another attempt.

The two limp ears, like balloons being inflated, slowly rose under the gaze of the onlookers.

"JUST do it! You can!" Howard exclaimed excitedly.

With every ounce of its energy, the lop-eared rabbit finally managed to keep its ears perfectly straight.