In 1807, Napoleon signed the Treaties of Tilsit, ending the
war between France and Russia. To celebrate, Napoleon organized a rabbit hunt
at the estate of his chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier. Berthier arranged for
hundreds, perhaps thousands of rabbits (some accounts say up to 3,000) to be
released on the grounds, expecting them to scatter and be hunted as part of the
festivities. But these weren’t wild-caught rabbits. They were purchased from
local farmers. Instead of fleeing from humans, they ran straight at them,
expecting to be fed. The hungry bunnies swarmed Napoleon and his men, causing
them to make a hasty retreat. This story reminds me of an incident in April,
1979, when President Jimmy Carter was fishing. A rabbit swam towards his boat, "hissing
menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared." The President
panicked and splashed at the scary beast with his paddle. There were no
reported casualties.
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