A lionhead rabbit named Herbie, who lives with his owners Richard and Melissa Dunham in Surrey, England, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living rabbit in the world, having reached an age that nearly doubles the typical lifespan of his breed. Herbie is now 15 years and 246 days old, a remarkable milestone for a breed that normally lives between seven and ten years, meaning he has outlived the average expectation for his kind by nearly eight years and is still going strong. The Dunhams, both teachers who have kept rabbits since 2010 and rescued a number of animals over the years, adopted Herbie when he was just eight weeks old, bringing him home from a pet shop as a companion for their female rabbit Flopsy, who bonded with him instantly and stayed devoted to him for a full decade.
What has always set Herbie apart, his owners say, is the sheer size of his personality for such a small creature. He spent his younger years inventing games, including a favorite where he would deliberately run away from Richard and then stop and wait to be chased, clearly the one in charge of the entire operation. Melissa described him as strong-willed, full of character, and bossy in the best possible way, with a spirit that has never dimmed even as the years have piled up around him into the most remarkable rabbit lifespan on record. He currently shares his home with a six-year-old rabbit named Betty, making him not only the world record holder but apparently still quite charming at home too. His owners said they are utterly astonished by how long he has lived and that his determination, just like his personality, seems to have no expiration date.
