even though captive rabbits had been exploited for over 2,000 years.

The emerging domestic rabbit subspecies, all breeds of which have been derived from the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), has been popular in the United States since the late 19th century. What became known as the "Belgian Hare Boom" began with the importation of the first Belgian Hares from England in 1888 and, soon after, the founding of the American Belgian Hare Association, the first rabbit club in America. From 1898 to