Lunar New Year

Written By: Zoe Glover 
Zoo Educator 

Here at the zoo, we have domestic rabbits located in the farmyard area and a domestic rabbit in the education department. She, along with the other ambassador animals in the education department are handled by staff for programs and outreach, which helps to support our zoo mission in education and conservation.

​What is Lunar New Year? Lunar New Year is a multi-day celebration that is important in East and Southeast Asian Cultures and starts on the first day of the new moon until the arrival of the full moon. The purpose of the celebration is to honor “household and heavenly deities and ancestors.” [1] This year, Lunar New Year will start on January 23rd, 2023, and lasts until February 9th, 2024.

Where do the animals come in? An animal is used to represent each year in the Lunar calendar. There are 12 animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig). [1]

What is the animal representing the 2023 Lunar New Year? The rabbit. Those born in the year of the rabbit (1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023), are talented, affectionate, good at forming close relationships, and seek out peace. [2]
What are some facts about rabbits?

• Rabbits have eyes on the side of their head for looking out against predators. Remember: “Eyes in front, time to hunt; eyes on the side, time to hide!”
  
• Rabbit teeth are constantly growing and will be worn down by the food that they eat, which can include grasses, wildflowers, and vegetables.
  
• Rabbits' ears have great temperature regulating abilities: when it is cold, the blood vessels in their ears will contract to retain heat; when it is warm, the blood vessels in their ears will dilate to release heat.
  
• Despite the typical Bugs Bunny eating carrots, carrots should not be the main source of the rabbits’ diet, as they are high in sugar and too much can cause digestive issues.
  
•  New England Cottontails are highly susceptible to Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHD2), which causes high rates of illness [3]

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[1]- https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year
[2]- https://www.almanac.com/content/chinese-new-year-chinese-zodiac
[3]- https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ahw/animal_health/documents/news-rhdv2-82020.pdf

The photo is of Ambassador Rabbit Piglet. Photo by Lauren Tiroletto