Oolong the Rabbit and his “head performance” [PICTURES]

Oolong ~ (Hokkaidō, July 28, 1994 — Hokkaidō, January 7, 2003), named after the oolong variety of tea, was a domestic rabbit owned by photographer Hironori Akutagawa. The rabbit was famous for his ability to balance a variety of objects on his head.

Oolong was trained to balance objects on his head, an art called “Head Performance” by his owner.  The first object balanced on Oolong’s head was a 35mm film canister on 25 May, 1999. Soon, Akutagawa had the rabbit balance a variety of things on his head, including tea cups, bread, fruit, pancakes (actually dorayaki), and even a rabbit skull. Although most reactions on the Internet were positive, there were some complaints by people who believed the practice to be cruel to animals.

The head performance is actually a result of the domestic rabbit’s natural tendency to cuddle with each other, other animals (like housecats) and their owners by putting their heads underneath the others’ chin.