Canned rabbit, once a dinnertime delicacy, now consigned to the burrows of history

Exploded cans of rotting rabbit meat blanketing a scarred jetty is where the tale of the canned cottontail cuisine culminated for the port of Kingston in South Australia. "The story of the Kingston Canning and Preserving factory — and that of the rabbit canning industry — is a fascinating one," said Kingston National Trust's Maureen Andrews. "The Longwood cannery was founded in 1891 where it produced rabbit for the dinner table by canning one-and-a-half jointed rabbits in a tin with brine, which was then boiled for canning and sealed with lead solder," Ms Andrews said. "The local newspaper, The Border Watch, reported in 1944 that a banquet was held at the Federal Hotel in Mount Gambier where canned rabbit was served," Ms Andrews said. "Prior to the cannery and long after, there was an enormous rabbit plague, right across southern Australia," Ms Andrews said.