Giant Chinchilla Rabbit

The Giant Chinchilla originated in the US. It was developed in 1921 by Edward H. Stahl of Holmes Park, Missouri. Stahl was one of the first to own a Chinchilla rabbit, a breed that had been created in France in 1913. He knew the fur industry would be taken by storm when it was introduced to America, but he knew that the breed's diminutive size would hamper its success. While other breeders began to breed up the weights to what would become known as the American Chinchilla, Stahl set his sights on breeding a "giant" breed. In his basement he began experimental breeding using a pure Chinchilla buck of large size and perfect color to New Zealand White does and does of several other large breeds. The offspring from the cross with White Flemish and American Blue does had reasonably good coloration with progress toward a larger size, and were used for continued selection. On Christmas morning, 1921, a Giant Chinchilla doe was born that Stahl considered ideal. He named her the "Million Dollar Princess".

True to their name, Giant Chinchillas are quite large, with mature bucks weighing in at 12 to 15 pounds and does at 13 to 16 pounds. It is the only breed in America that is judged for its commercial value, with meat producing qualities given top consideration on the judging table.

There are fewer than 200 annual North American registrations of the breed, and the global population is less than 2,000.