Does This Photo Show a Giant Rabbit?

A photo showing a man holding a giant rabbit is a heavily-shared image online. It  is claimed that this rabbit is 22 pounds and over 3 feet long. Is this photo real or fake?

It’s real.

A popular caption included with the image reads:

He weighs in at 22 pounds and measures a little over 3 feet. He is a breed of rabbit called German Giant (how appropriate!). This is his owner, Hans Wagner, struggling to hold him up. From the NY Post article…We don’t feed him an unusual diet, said Wagner. He goes through more than his brothers and sisters, but he eats the same food mix. His favorite food is actually lettuce…he can never get enough of it.
LOOK AT THOSE FEET!

The photo has been circulating ever since 2006, when it was featured in a New York Post article entitled, “17-Pounder is a Hare-Raising Rabbit.”

According to the article, “On all paws, German Giant, named for the world’s largest rabbit breed, stands about 17 inches tall. And standing on his hind feet, he’s more than three feet tall.” It further states, “German Giant, one of the biggest bunnies on the face of the planet, tips the scales at 17 pounds – almost seven pounds more than the average rabbit of his breed.”

So the caption exaggerates the weight slightly (the rabbit is 17 pounds, instead of 22), but is generally true. It’s also likely that the photo was taken very close to the rabbit, in a way to make the rabbit appear as large as possible. In this case, however, a three-foot rabbit is worthy of the eyebrow raises this image receives.