In 1914, the National Pet Stock (now known as the A.R.B.A., or the American Rabbit Breeders Association) adopted the English Lop as it's 15th breed. English Lops in the 1900's were bred specifically for their ears. European breeders would raise their English in over heated buildings with heat lamps, waxing, and even ironing their ears to produce the longest ears length ever seen. This also had an unfavorable effect on the English Lop. Since the poor breed was accustomed to such horribly high temperatures, it would develop colds and pneumonia when they were taken out in the cold months to be shown. But in the 1940's a different philosophy was stated for the English Lop: A massive, smooth bodied 18" eared animal or a raw boned, rough, pointed nose, 25" eared animal. Soon there was a great demand in America for the English Lop in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. In fact, English Lops were so popular around then that some were even used for nuclear testing. American breeders crossed in Flemish Giants to improve bone structure on the English Lop and to also improve it's type. But the end result was that in the 70's, English Lops became so inbred, that many suffered from weak bone structure, bowed legs, and snipey noses, pigeon breast, and other genetic defects. With the work of many breeders dedicated to improving the breed it wasn't long before the breed was in full swing again. The English Lop has been through some rough moments in its development, but it has passed the tests with flying colors and has grown to be the animal we see today before us. Remember, without the English Lop, there would be no French, Mini, Holland, American Fuzzy, or soon to be accepted Velveteen Lop.
There is no doubt that the English's trademark are it's ears. No one can argue with that, it is the special feature that makes the breed so unique. The reason an English Lop has enormous ears is very simple. The English Lop originated from the Algiers, Africa, a place well known for it's equatorial heat. When a rabbit is hot, they do not sweat, they release heat through their ears by circulating their blood through them. As the blood runs through the ears, it is cooled off and is returned to the bloodstream. (Their ears also take in the cold in the winter months). Pumping these massive amounts of blood caused the English Lop to have very heavy ears which eventually fell down one day and continued growing until the animal was suited to its enviroment and could compensate for all of the heat it was taking in. Parents with this new trait created a gene for lopping ears, and passed it on to their offspring. Thus the ears of the English Lop were formed. Many breeders are so successful with their English Lops because they stimulate the same situation in the dog days of summer and by heating their barns in colder climates. Since the first 16 weeks of an English Lops life is when the ears will grow the most, it's important that the ears are taken care of. Remember, an English Lop's ears are not only affected bu its genes, but also the enviroment. Some breeders get very short lengths in cold climates, while others achieve impressive ears lengths in freezing weather. It's just another example of Nature vs. Nurture.
English Lops are not popular just for their ears, they also have one of the best temperaments in the rabbit family. As kits, they like any other kit, full of energy and curious little guys. They bolt across their cages like lightning and sometimes trip on their ears and go flying a few feet. As adults, English Lops, despite their size, are as kind and gentle as ever. They are willing to be held and are almost in a good mood. As mothers, English Lops have excellent maternal instincts, their litter sizes vary from 3 to even 14. They are vry hardy eaters and drinkers, but have a tendency to vary in weight a lot. Junior bucks and does must not go over 9 pounds. Intermediate bucks must not exceed 10 ponds, while intermediate does must not exceed 11 pounds. Senior bucks must be 9 pounds or over, ehile senior does must be 10 pounds or over. When shown they have two different catagories, solid class, or broken class.
Thank you to Jay Hreiz for letting me use this. Visit his English Lop Empire.
