Bunnies
Bunnies, for I fear to use the R word at all, have been associated with bad luck for a very long time on Portland. These creatures are now referred to by a number of different names most commonly Underground Mutton or Long Eared Furry Things. The bad luck is believed to stem from quarry workers who would see them emerge from their burrows immediately before a rock fall and blame them for increasing the risk of dangerous, sometimes deadly, landslides. There have been cave-ins and in one instance a crane operator died when his crane toppled on weak ground above the burrows. If the creatures were seen in a quarry, workers would pack up and go home for the day until the safety of the area had been assured.
Today the superstitions remain and became nationally known in October 2005 when a special batch of advertising had to be made up for the latest Wallace and Gromit film. In respect of our local beliefs the adverts omitted the R word and replace the films title with "Something bunny is going on".
It seems that people have been having trouble with the pesky rodents for many years and not just in Portland. The below video shows how dangerous these creatures can be with footage from the Middle Ages. In actual fact this scene is from Monty Python's 'The Holy Grail'. The overall film has been rated 15 in the UK so viewer discretion is advised for this clip. You will also have to forgive them for using the R word!
