More Thoughts about "To Molt or Not to Molt" As a Choice

A white buck in 1983, a molting English Angora.   That was the longest wool ever on his body.

I’m grooming my 1994 ARBA convention BOB winner.  Cynthia’s wool was about 10 inches, unusual then. 

In 2011, Betty grooming Chu's Lilianna at Watsonville.  This photo went viral.

In 2011, Lilianna already has very long wool that measured to be 12 inches.  Without the non-molting characteristic, the chance of having some length and finish is next to zero.

Guinness World Record "Longest Fur on a Rabbit" Chu's Franchesca in 2014, 36.5 cm or 14.37 inches.  This is the one of the official photos on Guinness website.

This is a very common sight in shows: a rabbit that looks bigger than the owner.  Betty and Chu's Annisha in 2019. 

 Many times I was asked and credited being the person who discovered the non-molting gene in English Angora.   Since I am a social scientist specializing in Economics that is a study of human and business behavior relating to rational decision making, I feel uncomfortable talking about discovering a "gene".   However, being a social scientist, it is important to be able to logically observe and to draw conclusions or predictions.   I'd say that I had concluded from my observations and experiences in my early years of raising English Angora that "non-molting" or "less-molting" is an important characteristic for improving the breed.  I promoted this concept but it took quite an effort to get others to see the benefit of it.   

Here is one of the comments that I received:

"I remember in the mid-1990s, when those of us in Kansas wondered, why would anyone want a non-molting Angora? At that time we were not seeing the very logical reasons that you listed in your article.  These days, it makes so much sense: growing a full, prime senior show coat is such a commitment, it would be a shame to have it fall off before the rabbit's show career is complete.

Here is my reply: 

"Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts.

It takes an open mind to accept something that was uncommon.

If the "uncommon" is the right direction, eventually it will become common.

Though there are still a small number of people who think that the molitng Angoras are good, the number is getting smaller and smaller.  If they ever get the chance to experience the "good" ones, they convert quickly.

As a spinner since 1985, I really could not tell much difference between plucked wool and scissor-cut wool.  If there is any difference, the cut wool is a lot easier to spin because the wool is lined up in the natural order."

This interchange was made in early 2014.   By then most Angora people had accepted the concept.  The French Angora breeder was later to embrace this concept than the English Angora breeders; a small number ofEnglish Angora breeders started taking in this concept in the late 1980s, then the concept became more wide spread in the 1990s.  The French Angora breeders started breeding toward the non-molting direction around mid to late 2000s.   By 2014, both breeds are quite set in the non-molting or less-molting type of animals.   One interesting situation is that the Guinness World Record of the "Longest Fur on a Rabbit" was set on August 17, 2014 with the length of 36.5 cm or 14.57 inches.   Such length would only have been able to achieve if the rabbit keeps on growing the length without the wool falling off.   As we know that the more than 50% of the points are allocation to wool.  It's important to have a good type, nice furnishings, the head, ... if the wool on the body is sparse and short, the chance of doing well in shows is next to impossible.   Non-molting or less-molting is vital to keeping the wool on the rabbits but not on the brush.  

Today in 2024, there is probably very few Angora breeder, if any, would prefer a molting rabbit.  Very few people "pluck" the Angora wool now, and it is a good thing.  With the development of social media, we all have to be very careful how we carry ourselves.  There would be less chance of being considered unkind to animals if we cut the wool than pluck the wool when we harvest.