Jack Been Bunny, the World's Largest Jackrabbit in Odessa, TX

Much to the chagrin of locals, the 10ft jackrabbit at the corner of 8th Street and Sam Houston in the downtown area is one of the most popular "attractions" in Odessa, Texas. While it is rare to hear of anyone driving from out of town to see the "World's Largest Jackrabbit", it is not uncommon to see out-of-towners stopping by to take their picture in front of this monument to what many consider a rather disturbing case of animal cruelty.

As one of the two historical markers at the site indicates, the sculpture commemorates the jackrabbit roping competition which was held during the annual Odessa Rodeo in 1932. Despite the objections of a number of leading citizens, cowboys and cowgirls really did compete in roping live rabbits from horseback. The winner, Grace Hendricks, managed to do it in exactly five seconds.

Odessa made national headlines in 1977 when the event was actually revived, this time, with competitors roping from the ground. The event almost had to be canceled, however, when someone freed all of the captive rabbits. It managed to get going on time, however, and Jack Torian won with a time of six seconds.

Thankfully, that was the last time the event was held because the Humane Society secured a court order blocking it. The statue commemorating the event, however, remains and has become a kind of mascot for the city. The sculptured was even transported to Six Flags in Dallas to take part in the "Best of Texas Festival".

As if one large jackrabbit wasn't bad enough, several civic organizations in Odessa coordinated a fundraising campaign which resulted in 37 smaller, but brighter jackrabbit sculptures being scattered all over town. They were supposed to be temporary, but years later, they still sit in front of businesses all over town. It seems that Odessa has not only accepted being "that city with the rabbit", but has embraced it.

There are websites that have a lot of good information and pictures of the jackrabbit. They include... http://www.odessacvb.com/jack_ben_rabbit.html, http://www.odessacvb.com/rabbits_jamboree.html, http://www.savvycenter.com/explorer/roadside/jackrabbit.htm