Unicorns May Not Exist, But Did You Know That “Magical Rabbits” Do?

Unicorns may not exist, but did you know that “magical rabbits” do?

Okay, so they’re not really magical, but they’re certainly something special. “Magical rabbits” are also known as Ili Pika, and they are one of the most endangered species on the planet.

Pictures of them are exceptionally rare. In fact, the pictures seen in this post are the first images to surface of the elusive rabbits in 20 years.

Conservationist Weidong Li first discovered these cute animals in the 1980’s. The second time they were spotted was in the Tianshian mountains, located in the northwestern region of China.

The species was originally known as “Ochotona iliensis”, but Li changed its name in honor of his hometown. Sadly, the species population has plummeted even farther since they were first discovered.

Experts now estimate that there are fewer than 1,000 of these rabbits still alive.

Li feels a great responsibility to keep them safe, being as he was the person who discovered them in the first place. He’s said that he would feel very guilty if they went extinct on his watch. So he actually retired from his day job early in order to spend more of his time observing these creatures in their natural habitat.

But because of their rarity, it’s hard to establish any scientific data on them. What scientists do know definitively is that they are a member of the rabbit family, and there aren’t many of them left.

This is one of many issues that is blamed on global warming. Humans play a big part in the elimination of species in general, and this case is no different. We need to come together and make an effort to save the creatures of our planet.

Images of the Ili Pika have been released in order to raise some awareness about these special animals and their endangered status.

Pony Dressed as Unicorn Leads California Authorities on Wild Chase

A pony dressed as a unicorn lead California Highway Patrol on a four-hour chase through the streets of Madera County, Calif., Wednesday night.

The white pony, named Juliet, doubles as a unicorn for photo shoots with her owner photographer Sandra Boos. 

Boos said Juliet makes a lot of "dreams come true" for little girls during the photoshoots.

On Wednesday night, Juliet decided to make a dream of her own come true. Freedom.

While her owner was taking photos of a group of young children, Juliet made her move.

Donning her mythical unicorn horn, Juliet “threw up her head" and "pulled the lead rope” out of a bystander's hands and ran, Boos said.

“I was shooting, but I assume she got free and was like, ‘Oh, well I’m going to run,’ and she took off,” Boos said in a phone interview.

The California Highway Patrol tried for almost four hours to catch Juliet on the ground, as a helicopter helped track the horse from the air, Boos said.

Juliet eluded all efforts at capture, until Boos' friend rode up on a horse.

“When Juliet saw [the woman's] horse, Shady, she came running,” Boos said.

To her owner's relief, Juliet followed the horse into a nearby pen.

"I was standing with highway patrol when the call came over the radio, and they said 'the unicorn is in custody,'" Boos said.