Last Thursday, we were first to report on village allotment holders hiring two gunmen to put an end to the hungry monster’s night raids on their plots, in a story befitting last year’s Wallace and Gromit film The Curse of The Were-Rabbit.
E-mails and letters have flooded in from America, Canada and New Zealand – urging folk at Felton to give the giant bunny a reprieve (see letters page).
Our story has been followed up by both national and regional newspapers, radio and TV stations.
The Gazette understands there were ructions in the office of one Fleet Street paper, whose coverage was overshadowed by that of its rival nationals.
Jeff Smith, who featured in last week’s story as the first man to spot the giant – dubbed wor rabbit – has been at the centre of the whirlwind, receiving 51 phone calls on Thursday and 31 on Friday.
He has been contacted by people in New Zealand, Russia and Australia all interested in the creature’s fate.
Fellow allotment holder, George Brown, of South View, has also received calls from Russia, South Africa and “all over”.
He said: “There has been such a carry-on here.
“It has went round right the world.
“It must be a bit of excitement, it is something different from listening to doom and gloom.
“It has been something that has put Felton on the map. The whole world is getting to know about Felton.”
He added: “I got a message from somewhere down the Midlands: ‘If you kill that rabbit we are coming up to sort you out!’”
Several people have claimed that the beast is in fact a Flemish giant rabbit – a creature which can grow up to one metre in height.
One subscriber to this theory is a woman from Somerset who has offered to travel to Felton to catch what she assumes is an escaped pet, and take it home.
Bobtail’s Rabbit and Guinea Pig Rescue, based in Surrey, has similarly pledged to collect the were-rabbit and rehouse it, once caught.
Organisations such as the RSPCA and the Humane Urban Wildlife Deterrence have urged allotment holders to trap the beast in a cage and release it elsewhere.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Europe is offering to give carrots and cabbages to both villagers and the rabbit, in a “live and let live solution”.
The organisation has offered tips to humanely deal with the rabbit.
Our story has gone down a storm locally.
One Alnwick restaurant was advertising serving the “roast Felton rabbit stuffed with leeks” for dinner.
Meanwhile, the rabbit remains at large and has been continuing its night time raids.
Mr Brown said: “I have never seen it this morning but it probably will be kicking about.”