Jimmy Carter rabbit incident

Swamp rabbit attack on the American president

April 20, 1979, White House photo of Carter and rabbit from the Carter Library Close up of rabbit cropped from White House photo

The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, sensationalized as the "killer rabbit attack" by the press, involved a swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) that swam toward U.S. president Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979. The incident caught the imagination of the media after Associated Press White House correspondent Brooks Jackson learned of the story months later.

## Event[edit]

On April 20, 1979, during a few days of vacation in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Carter was fishing in a canoe or rowboat[1] in a pond in his farm, when he saw a swamp rabbit, which Carter later speculated was fleeing from a predator, swimming in the water and making its way towards him, "hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared",[2][3][4][5] so he reacted by either hitting or splashing water at it with his paddle to scare it away, and it subsequently went away from him and climbed out of the pond. A White House photographer captured the subsequent scene. Carter was uninjured; the fate of the rabbit is unknown.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

On August 30, Carter told reporters that it "was just a nice, quiet, typical Georgia rabbit."[9] University of Maryland zoologist Vagn Flyger rejected the idea of the rabbit attacking Carter, saying that, "If anything, he was probably scared and trying to find a dry place to get to."[9]

## White House staff reaction[edit]

In the spring of 1979, soon after returning from Plains, Jimmy Carter was making small talk with various White House staff, including his press secretary Jody Powell, while sitting on the Truman Balcony, likely drinking lemonade, when he mentioned the story.[7][10] His staff were skeptical about the actions of the rabbit, so he showed them a print of the photograph, which clearly showed him and the canoe, but the rabbit was too small to identify, so he got a larger version, which convinced them.[2][3]

## Media reception of story[edit]

According to Powell, in the subsequent August, Powell was chatting with Associated Press White House correspondent Brooks Jackson — according to Powell's memory, over a cup of tea, but according to Carter, "in a bar after a lot of drinking had gone on"[6] — and mentioned the story.[8] The next day, Jackson reported it to the news.[7][10]

According to Jackson, he heard it while on a trip with the president on a Mississippi paddle wheeler, and wrote it up a week later.[1]

The story had an embargo of a couple of days, but radio stations, such as those that carried Paul Harvey's programs, started talking about it shortly after it was submitted, so newspapers successfully requested that the embargo be lifted.[1][11]: 259 (Their eagerness to publish the story may be a result of a dearth of other news.[11]: 79 ) As a result, on August 30 the story got a front-page article in The Washington Post under the title "Bunny Goes Bugs: Rabbit Attacks President",[10] illustrated with a parody of the Jaws movie poster, entitled "PAWS",[2][4][8] and a New York Times article entitled "A Tale of Carter and the 'Killer Rabbit'".[5] Coverage in various news continued for more than a week.[7]

## Media reception of photograph[edit]

No news photographers were allowed to be close enough to take photographs, and the Carter administration refused to share the photograph. Deputy press secretary Rex Granum said that "There are just certain stories about the president that must forever remain shrouded in mystery."[3][4][5] Powell stated, "We're afraid if we release the photo, the rabbit controversy over the next two weeks will receive more ink than the SALT treaty."[10][12] News cartoonists instead drew their own illustrations, exaggerating the story.[11]: 131

Near the beginning of their time in the White House, the Reagan administration, likely while searching for a foreign policy, came across a copy of the picture, and released it to the press, thereby reigniting media coverage.[2][7]

Jerry Callen obtained a digital copy of the photograph from the Jimmy Carter Library, and released it on his blog, Narsil.org.[13]

## Cultural impact[edit]

The media used the event as a metaphor for however they wished to negatively portray Carter.[2][7][11]: 11,75,129 [14] In the subsequent elections, Carter lost to Ronald Reagan, and Republicans won a majority in the Senate, which they had not had since 1954.[10]

The event and the reactions to it were parodied in multiple xkcd comics[15] and a Saturday Night Live sketch.[16]

## See also[edit]

* Rabbits and hares portal

* Jimmy Carter UFO incident
* George H. W. Bush vomiting incident
* Bill Clinton haircut controversy
* Dick Cheney hunting accident
* George W. Bush shoeing incident
* Barack Obama tan suit controversy

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Jackson, Brooks (April 30, 1984). "Rabbit Redux: Carter and the Press". The Wall Street Journal. p. 30\. ProQuest 134987805.
2. ^ a b c d e f Adams, Cecil (November 10, 1995). "What was the deal with Jimmy Carter and the killer rabbit?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
3. ^ a b c d Jackson, Brooks (August 30, 1979). "Jimmy's White House". The Times-News. Hendersonville, N.C. p. 17 (p. 9 on Google News). Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
4. ^ a b c d Jackson, Brooks (August 30, 1979). "Bunny Goes Bugs: Rabbit Attacks President". The Washington Post. Associated Press. p. A1. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 147140956 - via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
5. ^ a b c d "A Tale of Carter and the 'Killer Rabbit'". The New York Times. Washington. AP. August 30, 1979 [Aug. 29]. p. A16. ProQuest 120762810 - via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
6. ^ a b Combs, Cody (November 21, 2010). "Jimmy Carter explains 'rabbit attack'". Political Ticker. CNN.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010.
7. ^ a b c d e f Powell, Jody (1984). "A Grave Mistake". The other side of the story. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 103–108. ISBN 978-0-688-03646-1. LCCN 84-60200. OCLC 566340560. OL 13423963W. ark:/13960/t73v02x3n. Reproduced in slightly condensed form in: Powell, Jody (April 8, 1984). "Killer rabbit story unfolded as President Carter sipped lemonade". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
8. ^ a b c Rabbe, Will (January 26, 2011). "Jimmy Carter Attacked By Swimming Rabbit". Blog - Will Rabbe, Producer, Journalist & Historian. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
9. ^ a b "Carter Describes Foe: 'Quiet Georgia Rabbit'". New York Times. Atlanta. UPI. August 31, 1979 [Aug. 30]. p. A12. ProQuest 120759647 - via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
10. ^ a b c d e Zelizer, Julian E. (September 14, 2010). "A Maverick Politician". In Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr.; Wilentz, Sean (eds.). Jimmy Carter: The American Presidents Series: The 39th President, 1977-1981. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-1-4299-5075-6.
11. ^ a b c d Sabato, Larry J. (1991). Feeding Frenzy: How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics. The Free Press, A Division of Macmillan, Inc. ISBN 978-0-02-927635-8. LCCN 91-10611.
12. ^ "Rabbit Photo Is Kept Secret". New York Times. Washington. UPI. September 5, 1979 [Sept. 4]. p. A2. ProQuest 120738003 - via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
13. ^ Callen, Jerry. "President Jimmy Carter and the "killer rabbit"". Narsil.org. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015.
14. ^ Sabato, Larry J. (March 27, 1998). "Special Report: Clinton Accused / Jimmy Carter's 'Killer Rabbit' – 1979". Feeding Frenzy: Media Frenzies In Our Time. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
15. ^ "204: America". explain xkcd. May 23, 2022 [Comic published by Randall Munroe on January 1, 2007]. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
16. ^ Sedelmaier, J.J. (June 21, 2013). "SNL - "Rabbit" (vignette)". Retrieved December 1, 2023 - via Vimeo.

* v
* t
* e

Jimmy Carter

* 39th President of the United States (1977–1981)
* 76th Governor of Georgia (1971–1975)
* Georgia State Senator (1963–1967)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Timeline
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* January 1981
* Political positions
* Judicial appointments
* controversies
* Executive Actions
* Rabbit incident
* Solar power at the White House
* Reagan transition

| Foreign policy|

* Carter Doctrine
* Camp David Accords
* Egypt–Israel peace treaty
* Torrijos–Carter Treaties
* Iran hostage crisis
* International Emergency Economic Powers Act
* Executive Order 12170
* Operation Eagle Claw
* Canadian Caper
* Engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini
* 1979 oil crisis
* Support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War
* Algiers Accords
* Iran–United States Claims Tribunal
* Diplomatic relations with China
* Goldwater v. Carter
* Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
* International trips
* 1980 Summer Olympics boycott
* Executive Order 12036
* Refugee Act
* Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
* FISA Court
* Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978

|

Domestic policy|

* Cannabis policy
* Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
* Senior Executive Service
* Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978
* Department of Education Organization Act
* U.S. Department of Education
* Executive Order 12148
* Federal Emergency Management Agency
* Executive Order 12172
* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Economic policy|

* Agricultural Trade Act of 1978
* Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1980
* Airline Deregulation Act
* Carter bonds
* Community Reinvestment Act
* DIDMC Act
* Electronic Fund Transfer Act
* Executive Order 12086
* Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
* Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977
* Financial Institutions Regulatory and Interest Rate Control Act of 1978
* Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
* National security letter
* Right to Financial Privacy Act
* Food and Agriculture Act of 1977
* Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act
* Motor Carrier Act of 1980
* National Aquaculture Act of 1980
* Staggers Rail Act
* Tax Reduction and Simplification Act of 1977
* Revenue Act of 1978
* Trade Agreements Act of 1979
* Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980

Energy policy|

* U.S. Department of Energy
* Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
* Energy Security Act
* Synthetic Fuels Corporation
* National Energy Act
* Energy Tax Act
* National Energy Conservation Policy Act
* Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act
* Nuclear Safety, Research, Demonstration, and Development Act of 1980
* Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978

Environmental
policy|

* Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
* Antarctic Conservation Act
* Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977
* Clean Water Act of 1977
* Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978
* Superfund
* Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
* National Priorities List
* Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
* Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
* Three Mile Island accident investigation
* Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act

Speeches|

* Moral Equivalent of War
* Island of Stability
* A Crisis of Confidence
* State of the Union
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981

Elections|

* Georgia gubernatorial elections
* 1966
* 1970
* Democratic Party presidential primaries
* 1976
* 1980
* Democratic National Conventions
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* Presidential elections
* 1976
* campaign
* 1980

Post-presidency|

* Carter Center
* Presidential Library and Museum
* Habitat for Humanity
* Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project
* The Elders
* Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
* Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter House
* Nairobi Agreement, 1999
* One America Appeal
* Continuity of Government Commission

Books|

* Everything to Gain (1987)
* The Hornet's Nest (2003)
* Our Endangered Values (2006)
* Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006)
* reaction and commentary
* Beyond the White House (2007)
* We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land (2009)
* White House Diary (2010)
* A Call to Action (2014)
* A Full Life (2015)

Awards
and honors|

* Nobel Peace Prize
* Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Freedom of the City
* Silver Buffalo Award
* Philadelphia Liberty Medal
* United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
* Hoover Medal
* Christopher Award
* Carter–Menil Human Rights Prize
* Grammy Award

Legacy|

* Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue (1976)
* USS Jimmy Carter
* Jimmy Carter National Historical Park (1987)
* Georgia State Capitol statue (1994)

Related|

* Residences
* Birthplace
* Home
* Mary Prince (nanny)
* UFO incident
* Jimmy Carter (2002 television documentary)
* Man from Plains (2007 documentary)

Family|

* Rosalynn Carter (wife)
* Jack Carter (son)
* Amy Carter (daughter)
* Jason Carter (grandson)
* James Earl Carter Sr. (father)
* Lillian Gordy Carter (mother)
* Gloria Carter Spann (sister)
* Ruth Carter Stapleton (sister)
* Billy Carter (brother)

* Emily Dolvin (aunt)
* Hugh Carter (cousin)
* Hugh Carter Jr. (second cousin)

* ← Gerald Ford
* Ronald Reagan →

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