Humans Click With Something About Bunnies

You see a lot of smiles in the rabbit display area at the Spokane Interstate Fair.

Not on the furry faces of the dozens and dozens of rabbits, of course. They mostly twitch their noses, sit still inside their wire cages and contemplate whatever it is rabbits contemplate.

Maybe they think about how nice it would be if the roosters sharing the exhibit hall piped down.

But for many of the human onlookers walking the aisles, there’s just something happy about the sight of these well-groomed animals with long ears and big eyes.

“Do you see the bunny?” said a beaming woman pushing a child in a stroller.”

“Unnghh!” answered the kid while pointing excitedly at a big gray rabbit.

There were countless similar scenes Sunday. But people didn’t need to have kids in tow to enjoy themselves.

One woman wearing jeans and an Eastern Washington University sweatshirt was walking past a row of cages when a black rabbit put its front paws up on the loose wire mesh and stared up at her. “Well, hello there,” said the woman, stopping in her tracks and leaning down for some face-to-face.

Signs warning onlookers not to touch the rabbits were ignored right and left. “Good bunny,” said one woman as she reached two fingers inside a cage and stroked a white rabbit that had its eyes closed.

“You’re so soft.”

By midday Sunday, the official judging already had been completed. Blue ribbons had been attached to some of the cages.

One of the award winners was 11-year-old Marissa Florio, a poised, personable girl who lives in the Spokane Valley.

What’s the best thing about raising rabbits?

“Seeing the babies and watching them grow up,” she said.

There were plenty of reminders that, in addition to being pets, rabbits can be viewed as livestock.

There was the “Rabbit Fur Booth.” And there were signs and charts explaining the different grades of high-protein rabbit meat.

The other other white meat.

But it’s probably a safe bet that most of those strolling past the cages Sunday weren’t thinking about that.

Seeing that a little girl in thick glasses was clearly charmed to the point of speechlessness by all the bunnies, Marissa Florio gently took one of her rabbits out of its cage. Then she held it so that the little girl could pet it.

The little girl was hesitant at first. Then she started stroking the rabbit with sure, slow motions.

Both she and Florio smiled. And the rabbit twitched its nose.

, DataTimes MEMO: Being There is a weekly feature that visits Inland Northwest gatherings.