Thousands of pet rabbits once attacked and chased Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during a hunt in 1807.

In July 1807, Napoleon's chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, organized a rabbit hunt to celebrate a new peace treaty. He bought between 2,000 and 3,000 rabbits from local farmers. These were domesticated rabbits rather than wild ones.Wild rabbits usually run away from humans to survive. Domesticated rabbits learn that humans provide food. When the cages opened, the rabbits did not flee into the woods. They saw Napoleon and his guests and ran toward them looking for a meal.The rabbits moved in a large group and surrounded the Emperor. Some rabbits even climbed up his legs and onto his jacket. Napoleon tried to shoo them away with a whip, but there were too many of them.Napoleon had to run to his carriage to escape the swarm. The rabbits continued to chase the carriage as it drove away. This event shows how animal behavior changes when they are raised by humans.