Rabbit Rescue Sanctuary hosts Spring Conference with talks and rabbit hopping events on Tweed Coast

YOU’D have to be hopping mad to miss this quirky conference, where you can learn about anything to do with rabbits — and watch their adorable ‘rabbit hopping’ event.

Fran Boston's rabbit Standout jumping. Picture: Jerad Williams

EVEN if you’re having a bad hare day, you’d have to be hopping mad to miss Tweed’s quirkiest conference.

While you won’t spot Peter Rabbit or Bugs Bunny at the annual Rabbit Rescue Sanctuary Spring Conference, athletic bunnies from across NSW will converge to show off their skills in their own hare-raising version of the Commonwealth Games.

Fran Boston's rabbit Ravo ahead of a rabbit conference in Tweed on Saturday. Picture: Jerad Williams

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The competitive sport of “rabbit hopping’’ will be demonstrated, with competing rabbits required to jump over a course of bars – similar to show jumping for horses.

And the sanctuary’s very own Brer Rabbit and office pet, Chocolate Charlie, will peform a myriad of tricks to prove the species is the full carrot.

Fran Boston with her rabbit Chinny. Picture: Jerad Williams

Rabbit Rescue Sanctuary founder Kim Cooney said the conference was designed to help educate potential and current rabbit owners.

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“One of our guests is one of the highest qualified exotic vets in Australia, Dr Deborah Monks,” she said.

Fran Boston with her sporty rabbit Chinny will be at the conference in Tweed on Saturday. Picture: Jerad Williams

Ms Cooney said the program would include talks on rabbit behaviour and how owners can teach rabbits to do tricks. There would also be showbags.

Fran Boston of the Northern NSW Rabbit Club said she was excited about showing off “rabbit hopping’’ to spectators.

Ravo enjoying jumping. Picture: Jerad Williams

She said the sport allowed the long-eared bunnies, which can already jump up to one metre high in the wild, to use their natural ability.

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“Once these rabbits have a go, they enjoy it … and remember how to do it,” she said.

“They’re very agile and have excellent long vision.”

Even aptly-named Chinny enjoys jumping. Picture: Jerad Williams

Ms Boston said she had been teaching her rabbits to hop over the jumps, which can be 52cm high and up to 50cm long in elite competitions, since 2012.

“Any rabbit can hop,” she said.

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“They need to be outgoing. They might follow you around – they’re the ones that take to hopping very well. But I have trained up very shy rabbits before too.”

Her nine-year-old rabbit Thor has been placed in a number of competitions in Sydney over the years.

Ms Boston said it could take about a year to train a rabbit. She would start by training them to jump over pool noodles in her lounge room before taking on larger obstacles.

Speaking of obstacles, Queenslanders have a huge one – rabbits are banned in this state, with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries saying they cause up to $1 billion damage annually on the environment, causing severe land degradation and soil erosion and threatening the survival of native species.

So Gold Coasters wanting to hop on the bunny bandwagon will have to hare it down to Tweed. Tickets for the conference, to be held at the Banora Point Community Centre, start at $65, which includes lunch with vegan options.