quote:

---

A rabbit accidentally set alight by a cricket club bonfire had its revenge after taking refuge under the groundsman's hut, causing a blaze that damaged £60,000 worth of equipment.

The rabbit jumped out of the bonfire at the 150-year-old Devizes club, Wilts, with his tail on fire and disappeared beneath the hut. Eleven firemen fought the blaze, but were unable to save the equipment inside, including several mowers.

Richard Read, the ground committee chairman, said: "A volunteer was burning branches and poured paraffin over them to get the fire started. Suddenly, this rabbit shot out, on fire. It must have had paraffin poured over it and caught fire at the same time. We ran to see where it had got to but couldn't find it. We can only imagine that it bolted inside the hut because, shortly afterwards, it started burning. The fire spread to the whole place in a few minutes and there was no chance of getting anything out."

"When we told the fire brigade how it started it certainly raised a chuckle."

As an insurance assessor visited the hut yesterday, Mr Read said: "Fortunately, the roller was out on the pitch, but we lost everything else. The fine turf mower, the big diesel mower, wheelbarrows, brushes, all the bits and pieces collected over the years - all gone.

"We are appealing to any rich benefactors out there to help replace some of this equipment."

The blaze also destroyed the connections to the club's new electronic scoreboard.

Pip Flowers, the Devizes fire station commander, said he had never heard of such an incident before and regretted that it had been impossible to save the rabbit. "It's very sad for the poor thing," he said.

---

Link to story (registration required).
 

---

Posted by Dan Lyons (Member # 1454) on 08-13-2004, 02:09 PM:
 
poor bunny.

Too bad this didn't happen at a hunting lodge or fox hunting event.. that would be perfect.
 

---

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 08-13-2004, 08:56 PM:
 
I have a friend whose family has a pet rabbit. It roams the house after nightfall, & terrorizes the family in amazingly hostile & cruel ways. It is in no way a cuddly & sweet animal. From his reports, the rabbit is plainly psychotic.


 

---

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 08-13-2004, 10:22 PM:
 
Right. Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew coming right up.
 

---

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 08-14-2004, 01:00 AM:
 
(Elmer Fudd voice:) Be vewy, vewy, quiet, we'we hunting wabbitts!
 

---

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 08-14-2004, 04:16 AM:
 
WABBIT TWACKS!
 

---

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 08-14-2004, 11:54 AM:
 
Who's up for some four-legged chicken?
 

---

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 08-17-2004, 02:03 PM:
 

quote: William Hooper

---

I have a friend whose family has a pet rabbit. It roams the house after nightfall, & terrorizes the family in amazingly hostile & cruel ways. It is in no way a cuddly & sweet animal. From his reports, the rabbit is plainly psychotic

---

It doesn't by any chance have an ancestor that used to terrorise good King Arthur and his noble ker-niggets!


My brother-out-law ( his sister and I live in sin!) has a rabbit that mounts any unsuspecting cat that happens into it's territory
 

---

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 08-17-2004, 02:05 PM:
 

quote: Dick Vaughan

---

My brother-out-law ( his sister and I live in sin!) has a rabbit that mounts any unsuspecting cat that happens into it's territory

---

So that's how CABBITS are made!!
 

---

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 08-17-2004, 02:08 PM:
 
Or Rats!
 

---

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 08-17-2004, 02:15 PM:
 
I used to have a rabbit that ran around the house. They are not intentinally mean but those back legs will cut you open very easily if they dont want to be held.
 

---

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 08-18-2004, 12:39 AM:
 
Weird fun with rabbits

I don't want to know, but I bet the rabbit wouldn't have anything to do with this otherwise
 

---