Silly Saturday: Napoleon "Bunny-Parte"

Though there's an abundance of rabbit jokes out there to be told, this month we decided to take a break from our usual Silly Saturday joke routine, and instead focus on a funny rabbit story with roots in an actual historical event! I am sorry for any disappointment this may cause our joke-loving followers, but don't despair! Please stay hop-timistic and remember that anybunny is welcome to jump on down to the comment section below and share their most hare-raising, ear-resistible rabbit jokes. Lettuce assure you, we won't carrot all if you do....

But back to our tail! I mean, tale! Aside from the silly Warner Brothers pun we put in the title, did you know that there really is a silly story to be told, rooted firmly between the great conqueror, Napoleon, and a massive horde of fluffy bunny rabbits?

As with many historical events, different accounts relay slightly differing details, but one thing remains certain across all accounts of this funny bunny story:

Napoleon Bonaparte was chased away from a celebratory rabbit hunt by an onslaught of soft, whiskered faces with long ears and cute, twitching noses!

As the story goes, back in 1807 Napoleon had just victoriously signed the Tilsit Treaties with the Russian Empire, bringing The War of the Fourth Coalition to an end. To celebrate his victory, Napoleon proudly tasked his chief-of-staff, Berthier, with the responsibility of organizing a rabbit hunt. Berthier dutifully planned the event, complete with a massive colony of captured rabbits. (That's right, a group of wild rabbits is known as a colony!) The exact number he gathered is unknown, but estimates range anywhere from hundreds of rabbits all the way up to 3,000!

When the momentous time had come, all the rabbits were simultaneously released from their cages so that Napoleon and his men could make sport of the hunt. Curiously, to their surprise and initial amusement, the bunnies didn't make a run for it! In a seemingly united front, they all ran in the opposite direction, swarming the hunting party instead! And it is precisely this unusual behavior that gives away Berthier's critical mistake that led to this incredible, underdog victory in which bunnies managed to turn the tables on Napoleon Bonaparte, a man who conquered entire kingdoms for lunch!

You see, Berthier bought a fluffle of bunnies, rather than a colony of bunnies. What's the difference? While a "colony" describes a group of wild bunnies, the word "fluffle" is a modern term which is used to affectionately describe a group of domestic bunnies, and that is exactly what Berthier gathered for the hunt. He needed to get his hands on as many rabbits as possible in a short period of time. So, he purchased as many as he could from the locals. But what the locals had on hand for immediate purchase was their own stock of domesticated bunnies, rather than the wild sort that Napoleon was accustomed to hunting.

Berthier clearly didn't stop to consider the fact that domesticated animals behave quite differently than their wild counterparts (but we know that fact wasn't lost on you, because you do an awesome job of staying in the know when it comes to wildlife)! In his rush to set up the hunt, he didn't bother to feed the massive fluffle of bunnies that he anticipated would shortly be meeting their demise anyway at the end of Napoleon's rifle. So what do you get when you restrict the diet of domesticated rabbits and then introduce them to a group of humans at the end of a clearing? "A riveting hunt" is the wrong answer. What you get is a very excited mob of rabbits in a frenzied race to the snack buffet they have been habituated to anticipate from the humans they spy at the opposite end of the field!

At first, the members of the hunting party found it comical, but as the rabbits descended upon them, they were overwhelmed by the sea of bunnies nibbling at their buttons, chewing on their pants, pawing at their legs and climbing their coattails. The hunt was clearly a total flop, since the purchased prey refused to make sport and run. Not knowing what else to do, Napoleon quickly retreated to his carriage where it is said he had to evict a number of bunnies who had already beat him to it! He ultimately escaped the madness, driving into the sunset without a single hunting prize to show for all of Berthier's party-planning efforts.

As a prey species, rabbits are almost always saved by their wild instincts which push them to outrun and outmaneuver their predators, hide, and blend in to their surroundings. But not this time! The domesticated adaptations bred into Berthier's batch of bunnies stymied one of the most formidable men in recent history and secured a win for these waskally wabbits! For the first time (maybe ever?) the scoreboard read:

Fluffle of rabbits: 1

Napoleon and his mighty men: 0

You can read all about this story in a great children's book entitled, "Napoleon vs. The Bunnies," written by J. F. Fox and illustrated by Anna Kwan. Look for this book at your local lending library. You can also find it for purchase in print and on Kindle on Amazon, or in your Epic Books library!

With this funny bunny story now in hand, we wish you the silliest of Saturdays this weekend!