Belgian Hare: a breed shaped by people

The American Belgian Hare Club describes nineteenth-century imports from continental Europe to Britain, refinement of a hare-like rabbit and later export to the United States. Its history records the 1888 American introduction and the subsequent boom. Importantly, this animal was selected for resemblance; the name does not establish hare ancestry. The club also describes the growth and decline of early organizations and the chartering of the present American club in 1972. A population's conservation story includes those institutions: breeders need ways to share standards, exchange knowledge and continue after a market fashion fades.