Lol, Opossum is a totally different critter than a Possum.
I'm not sure of the provenance of Jersey Woolies found in Australia and New Zealand - they may not have any American JW in their ancestry, as importation is only allowed from certain countries (when it is allowed, which is rarely). Australia is only allowed to import from the UK, and we have no Jersey Woolies in the UK. It might be a case of 're-creation' of a breed using what they have.
I've been trying fruitlessly to find a picture of that variety, but all that comes up with that search are astrex rabbits. Are astrex opossum rabbits? They don't look very long-haired at all...
I believe this is the only photograph that exists, it's often reproduced in books and online. The Opossum Rex was also silvered.
That's so weird for a coat that you should be able to produce in 2 generations. It kind of makes me want to try it though I have no use for it lol
They can compete under BRC rules, yes. They are judged on phenotype, not genotype.
Ohh, two great points. So in order to be registered under the BRC, the registered rabbit doesn't need to come from a pure pedigree? (I know very little about these organisations but I've read ARBA only accepts pure and pedigreed animals, so I kind of assumed it would be more or less the same)
That's correct, there is no requirement for pedigrees with the BRC (although many breeders keep ancestry records anyway), and the only registration is when a rabbit achieves an award such as a BRC Diploma, Champion, Grand Champion or a breed club championship.
Yes you're right they probably have no 'jersey' in them, but surely if you breed the same crossbreed it counts the same? Plenty of Netherland dwarfs here and I think maybe still French Angora in Australia. We're only allowed to import rabbits from Australia. Either way, the Jersey Woolies here have the French look to them that I want.
I don't know if there are any true French Angora in Australia. They aren't a recognised breed in the UK so it's not so likely any were imported.
Import restrictions won't always have been as they currently are, though. Looks like some French Angora were imported into Australia in 2001 for the wool industry.
Oh okay, though I'm not sure where from as Australia can only import from rabies-free countries (when they were permitted to import at all). That regulation was in force in 2001.
France with quarantine protocols apparently. I'd bet that industry can get approvals that the general population can't.
My understanding is that ARBA only accepts rabbits for registration that have pure pedigrees, but a pure pedigree doesn't mean that the rabbit is pure, just that it's pure for the past handful of generations.
You can show a rabbit that's not purebred as long as it matches the standard (at least in the US). For example, I have a stunning little fuzzy netherland dwarf that I could show as a Jersey Wooly since he matches the description and has no disqualifications. I could not register him as a Jersey Wooly because you need a three-generation pedigree. But if I pair him with Jersey Wooly does (exclusively), his great-great grandkids could be registered as Jersey Woolies since they would have a three-gen pedigree. (Assuming he wasn't anywhere else on the pedigree, of course.) These rules might only apply to america/ARBA.
