Editing Cuniculture (section)

==Exhibition and fancier societies==
[[File:Kunić Njemački šarac.JPG|220px|thumb|A [[Checkered Giant]] at an exhibition]]

In the early 1900s, as [[animal fancy]] in general began to emerge, rabbit fanciers began to sponsor rabbit exhibitions and fairs in [[Western Europe]] and the [[United States]]. What became known as the "Belgian Hare Boom" began with the importation of the first Belgian Hares from England in 1888 and soon after the founding of the first rabbit club in America, the American Belgian Hare Association. From 1898 to 1901, many thousands of Belgian Hares were imported to America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/belgianhare.html|title=American Livestock Breeds Conservancy: Belgian Hare|publisher=Albc-usa.org|access-date=2012-10-10}}</ref> Today, the Belgian Hare is considered one of the rarest breeds, with less than 200 in the United States as reported in a recent survey.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hare Survey|url=http://www.belgianhareclub.com/hare_survey.html|publisher=Belgian Hare Club|access-date=2012-10-08|archive-date=2012-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905003231/http://www.belgianhareclub.com/hare_survey.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[American Rabbit Breeders Association]] (ARBA) was founded in 1910 and is the national authority on rabbit raising and rabbit breeds, having a uniform "Standard of Perfection", registration and judging system.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

===Conformation shows===
{{Main article|Rabbit show}}
Showing rabbits is an increasingly popular activity. Showing rabbits helps to improve the vigor and physical behavior of each breed through competitive selection. [[County fair]]s are common venues through which rabbits are shown in the United States. Rabbit [[Club (organization)|club]]s at local state and national levels hold many shows each year.  Although only purebred animals are shown, a [[Pedigree (animal)|pedigree]] is not required to enter a rabbit in an ARBA-sanctioned show but is required to register the rabbit with ARBA. A rabbit must be registered in order to receive a Grand Champion certificate.<ref>{{Citation|title=Official Show Rules|year=2009|publisher=American Rabbit Breeders Association}}</ref> Children's clubs such as [[4-H|4{{nbh}}H]] also include rabbit shows, usually in conjunction with county fairs. The ARBA holds an annual national convention which has as many as 25,000 animals competing from all over the world. The mega show moves to a different city each year. The ARBA also sponsors youth programs for families as well as underprivileged rural and [[inner city]] children to learn responsible care and breeding of domestic rabbits.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}