Talk:Pharaoh Hound/Archive 1

Initial comment
This is spelled wrong. It should be "Pharaoh hound". -- Zoe —Preceding undated comment added 18:24, 11 June 2002 (UTC).

DNA research
On 22 November 2007 an anonymous edit modified the text in the "History" section, changing its meaning. It hasn't been reverted. Is this settled? --Daggerstab (talk) 13:39, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Reverted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 16:30, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Another Possible Health Issue
As much as it pains me to say this, the breeder of my dog did some extensive (to my limited knowledge) line breeding. A brother of his died very prematurely due to a tumor on his spleen (I believe this is an older dog issue which should never have happened so young). And my dog had many problems with mobility and atrophy, and I had to put him to sleep at age 9 which is a very early age to die for a Pharaoh (he had one good leg; the rest were useless - we spent $5,000 and never found out what was wrong). Additionally, I heard that the grand-sire of my dog was bred to the sister of my dog and 3 pups turned out needing zinc injections for the rest of their lives.

I am not trying to call anyone out or name names so I won't name the breeder, but it seems clear that due to the rarity of the breed in America, some serious line breeding is going on that could be dangerous. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thera2400 (talk • contribs) 04:57, 5 July 2008 (UTC)

Need new image!
A new image is needed for this page. The current one does not show the breed in its best light. A better photo would show the dog stacked (in a show stance), have better lighting, and show a dog that doesn't have its tail tucked in (the article clearly states that isn't good breed type), or its ears flattened back (also bad type). If anyone has a good image that can be used please put it up. I can't find a source for a suitible (GNU liscensed) image, and don't know anyone who owns the breed. Pharaoh Hound 22:37, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

That photo was taken by me, in Maltese countryside where pharaoh hounds are not bred for show standards 195.158.122.165 17:36, 27 May 2006 (UTC)


 * The current image is contradictory to the article in many respects, and images that contradict their artcles are not acceptable. Pharaoh Hound 22:37, 31 May 2006 (UTC)


 * How does it contradict? It is an example of the dog as it is breed in it's country of origin for us in it's intended purpose of hunting rabbits. This should trump a breed standard, which in this casee was an arbitrary guide created by people with little knowledge of the breed—if I recall Block and company wrote the original standard based on three dogs they aquired in a fairly short period and without much at all about how the breed is breed in Malta. If Block had taken the time to learn from the Maltese, the standard would not be as it is today. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.136.185 (talk • contribs)


 * Perhaps "contradict" wasn't the exact word I was looking for, so let me elaborate. What I meant was that the "appearance" section of this page gives the discription of "western" or show type dogs, which is the best known form of the Pharaoh, thus I belive it would be best to have an image in the infobox that reflects the breed's most common form. Though you make an interesting point about the differances between the two types and the history. I think that it would be very useful to have photos and discriptions of both types. -- Pharaoh Hound  (talk)  22:42, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

It's OK if that's not a show quality dog, however we need a photo of the dog in a nicer pose (the current one looks like it's cowering). Pharaoh Hound 14:41, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Good I'll try to find one and get a good photo of it when I'm in the countryside 195.158.120.242 21:11, 1 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Thanks a lot!!! Pharaoh Hound 21:42, 1 June 2006 (UTC)


 * I have exchanged the first photo for a better one, which I have already provided for the Pharaoh Hound article in the German Wikipedia, and added two more photos from my collection. --Jan Eduard 18:31, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

I live in Gozo and own a KTF - I'm vey happy to supply photos - how do I post them ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.251.125.176 (talk) 08:40, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

Life expectancy?
Is 12-15 years really accurate? Before I got my dog I read about a life expectance of about 15 years. Not long after I got my pup, I was told by breeders that 15 years was unheard of and that 12 years the norm. Well, 12 years later and my dog is the last standing out of a littler of 7 (with all siblings passing in about a 6 month period starting 3 months before their 12th birthday and ending now 3 months after--and we nearly lost our dog during that period due to a large tumor), plus both the sire and dame pasted at 12. I will be very happy if my dog makes it another 3 years, but it really does seems like the breed tends to pass at about 12 years old. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.149.94 (talk) 02:50, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The dogs on the island seem to live longer than 12 years. Maybe there's a defect in whatever strain was exported to where you are. I hope your dog lives long and is healthy, but individual cases really aren't a suitable yardstick for the entire breed. the roof of this court is too high to be yours (talk) 05:43, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

Patronage issue
If someone would stop the edit-war that would be preferable. I have no reason for edit-waring but merely adding content which makes the context of the issue. -- Imbris (talk) 20:45, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Imbris, you're repeated attempts at hijacking other threads to push an Eastern bias are wearing thin. Kindly don't let it carry across to your work on other articles and don't edit with malice in mind. I'll take that advice to heart too^^ the roof of this court is too high to be yours (talk) 23:05, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Kelb tal Fenek page?
What happened to the Kelb tal Fenek page? Previously, the page was Kelb tal Fenek and Pharaoh Hound pointed to it, not it looks to be the other way. What happened?
 * Pharaoh Hound is the most common name for the breed. Kelb tal-Fenek is a redirect, I think. -- Pharaoh Hound  (talk)   (The Game)  17:21, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

I reverse an earlier comment. While Pharoah Hound (the person) and I may not see eye to eye on everything he/she does rock in my opinion. After looking over how many times people try to re-inject the whole egyptian charade and how many time PH has come to the rescue, I have to give props where props are due.? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.136.185 (talk • contribs)

So will the page be re-written to reflect the dog's Maltese heritage? The fact it has been re-christened 'Pharaoh Hound' is annoying enough. The spanish dog is now known by its native name, the same should be true of the Maltese. What would it take to effect such a change? thanks Kalindoscopy (talk) 10:14, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Can someone add a refer from "Kelb tel Fenek" minus the hyphen as well? I know the hyphen is the correct way to write it, but I think it is common for people to accidently leave it out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 16:01, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

Librier
Anon raised this issue in their edit summary. I agree that this term seems imprecisely added and not accurate. It is not generally or strictly associated with the Kelb tal-Fenek. 汚い危険きつい (talk) 03:04, 20 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I have added sourced information and you question what?
 * The information?
 * The source?


 * Your statement that "State your reason for inclusion; indeed, this information seems misleading". I do not need any reason for adding valuable information by which in the Maltese language Kelb tal-Fenek is also named Librier.
 * You have seen the source and very well know that the Maltese language has been subject to different influences, thus your conclusion that "this information seems misleading" is just your feeling or what?
 * If you do not have a better source on the question of Librier you should stop deleting sourced statements on the basis of your gutt feeling.
 * Imbris (talk) 20:49, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

"Librier" appears to be the Maltese equivalent of "levrier" (a hare hunting dog; i.e. Galgo, Windhund etc. = Sighthound). I suggest the quoted dictionary is at fault. The Kelb tal-fenek is by definition a "rabbit" hunting dog. So there appears to be a contradiction between its original function, see article references to its field work: methodical, disciplined, endurance hunting on rabbits, and this association with "librier", which suggests the speed hunting, or coursing, of hares. On that strength, I would advise removing the word "Librier" from this page.--Richard Hawkins (talk) 19:37, 22 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Librier appears to be a Roman languages influence in the Maltese language which signify the exact same thing as the Il-Kelb tal-Fenek. I belive that the Il-Kelb tal-Fenek can hunt the Hares and jackrabbits which belong to the same family as rabbits. This would suggest that we contact a Maltese language specialist to determine whether the source is correct or not. We should listen to them rather than delete information. I will call one such expert that lives in Japan. -- Imbris (talk) 23:24, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Hares and rabbits have totally different escape tactics when they are hunted. Hares usually try and outpace the pursuer, rabbits usually try and go to ground and hide. The Kelb tal-fenek, like most of the Med Island hunting breeds, has been bred specifically to hunt rabbits, that is why it is often hunted at night, needs excellent hearing (standing ears), will point give voice and try and retrieve hidden game, it hunts methodically under guidance of a human handler. None of these stategies apply when hunting hares by speed as levriers do. Hares can be hunted by endurance hunting, usually with a pack of scent hounds (such as harriers), which is not the case with the Kelb tal-fenek. It is a contradiction in terms to call a Kelb tal-fenek anything like levrier. Contact Peter Gatt or Jan Scotland if you want to know what and how Klieb hunt.--Richard Hawkins (talk) 17:26, 27 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I've edited the page accordingly. the roof of this court is too high to be yours (talk) 23:28, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Sighthound status debate
This breed is not a sighthound. --Richard Hawkins 03:06, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
 * What do you mean by this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.136.185 (talk • contribs)

Exactly what I wrote: The breed is not a sighthound; neither by its work which is scent hunting rabbits, nor by its FCI Group 5 status. So why is it included here? Verify its true status. Supply the reader with a description of its true field work, descriptions of which are freely available. Then draw your own conclusion. Do not continue to mythologise the true identity of breeds.--Richard Hawkins 20:12, 12 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Trust me, I am one of the last to try to mythologize this breed. I was just curios about your basis for your statement. As to feild work, I have only read Peter Gatt's descriptions, which seem to be a combination of scent, sight and hearing. One thing to note, have you ever seen what happens when a Greyhound, whippet or Italian Greyhound in a park filled with off leash dogs of a variety of breeds doe when either another Greyhound, whippet, Italian Greyhound or Kelb tal-Fenek moves by withint 20 feet? They drop what they are doing (playing, sitting, etc.) and head straight for that dog for a sniff—they do not do this with all of the other dogs around them. This leads me to beleive there is something about sighthounds that makes them stand out to one another from other dogs, and that Kelb tal-Fenek have this trait. So, if sighthound recognize the Kelb tal-Fenek as sighthound, then I think there is something to it. Mind you, I understand this is anecdotal evidence, but if someone would devise a test we could test it out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.136.185 (talk • contribs)

I respect Mr. Hawkins qualifications. However, as someone who has owned 3 Pharaoh hounds, has watched them lure course, seen them hunt in the field, and compared their gait and hunting style to other sight hounds (borzoi and ibizans among others), I have found no reason to believe that they should not be considered sight hounds. They may start prey with their scent but they definitely run it down. If they lose sight of prey in long grass, they will rear up on their back legs to relocate the prey as well as cast for scent. They run with the double suspension gallop. If you do not consider Pharaoh hounds as sighthounds, then we need to discuss your definition of a sighthound. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.174.89.62 (talk • contribs)

Please see and read the discussion on the Sighthound page, you will find my reasons clearly given there why I do not consider scent hounds such as the Kelb to be sighthounds. Read the Kelb field work description http://www.kelb-tal-fenek.com/fieldwork.htm carefully, and you should understand that the Kelb is not a breed which takes its prey by its superior speed (an essential factor in the description of sighthounds) - NB the rabbit is not speed prey like the hare. The Ibizan/Podenco is not a sighthound either - please consult Miquel Elena Rossello - Ca Eivissenc: La Alternativa/Podenco Ibicenco: La Alternativa 1987, to understand why Spanish breed experts do not consider the Podenco to be a sighthound, in fact they are adamant that it is not. Why question or insult native breed experts? They, unlike the Maltese, do at least know what a true "national sighthound is" because they have the Galgo. Any dog will run its prey down given enough time and endurance. That does not mean it is a sighthound.--Richard Hawkins 00:25, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

When considering whether a hound should be categorized as "scent" or "sight", too often reference books and "experts" make the simplistic distinction that scenthounds pursue their prey with their noses while sighthounds pursue their prey exclusively by sight. Dogs have tremendous powers of scent. Why, therefore, expect any dog in the field not to use their nose? The difference between the sight and scent hound is how they pursue their prey once the scent is hot or the prey has broken cover. Conversations with other sighthound owners-breeders-enthusiasts as well as direct observation of sight and scent hound breeds in the field are the basis for these comments. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wietiesr (talk • contribs)

Richard, I think you go too far here. The Maltese do not call the Kelb-tal Fenek a sight hound, the designation comes from other sources (as did this mess about Pharaohs and Egypt). The Maltese also did not create the classification system(s) used for dogs, so do not blame them for the breed being called sighthound. I have read your thoughts on this subject of what is and is not a sighthound and I would like to understand your motivation here, what makes you so passionate about this subject?

Dear Pharaoh Hound, I was once given the Maltese Dictionary definition of a Kelb (I think either from Jan Scotland or Peter Gatt or both), being described as the nation's "greyhound". You are quite right, the Maltese are not in any way to be 'blamed' for any of "this" - see discussion on sighthound status - however the main point is that the Spanish do have a true classic sighthound, the Galgo, and they know the difference between their scent hounds such as the Podenco's, and their sighthound such as the Galgo. Which the Maltese may not know, because they do not have both. The Maltese environment, just as the Mallorcan islands, does not lend itself to the sighthound specific chase. Why am I so passionate about this - read my book :) Okay, I have researched hunting dogs and hunting lore, I was once deeply concerned with the background and history of coursing related to the judging of lure coursing. The truth above all is worth being passionate about. If people do not know the true history of their dog/breed they should not be pretending to inform others. North America is notorious in this respect. See for instance the current AKC Complete Dog Book, page 180 where the "Ibizan hound" is actually called a Galgo ... With reference to the comment above from 'Wietiesr', "sight" has become too misleading for many people trying to interpret the difference between sighthounds and scent hounds. Sighthounds take their prey by their superior speed, nothing more nothing less. The less people actually hunt with their dogs, the less they understand about the nature of their hounds/breeds. And so their status becomes indistinct.--Richard Hawkins 06:04, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Kelb is Maltese for dog or hound (there is no differentiation). I agree, the truth is important, but one must keep in mind that the truth is not always black and white (how easy, yet boring, life would be if it was). I think it is clear that the breed is not, nor has ever been, from Egypt, and would love it if people would finally embrace this truth. As to if the breed is a sight hound or sent houd, I can see the point that the Kelb tal Fenek (and the related breeds) is not that same as greyhounds and whippets. But, it is not like the scent hounds either. They are something inbetween. They do love to run and chase, so while not a sight hound in the same way as a grey hound, they should be allowed in coursing competition.

As a hound owner twice over, I have 2 females, I have been a bit confused as to their status but believe they are one of the rare breed of animal, dog, that is both, Scent and Sight Hound as they use both in the hunt of prey equally. I guess as humans we have to put them in one box or another but this is a slight against a magnificant animal that is equally well endowed to hunt via sight or sound. (c.cooper - Artcoop) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Artcoop (talk • contribs) 03:18, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Ok, weird that 'the Maltese' are somehow being referenced indiscriminately in relation to this creature's status. You'd have more luck finding the source of any errors with the same people who re-named the poor animal 'Pharaoh hound' (for bizarre reasons all their own). the roof of this court is too high to be yours (talk) 03:39, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Removed from Health section
I removed the following which was in the Health section for the following reasons: 1) it has nothing to do with the health of the breed, 2) it is loaded with tons of misinformation and flat-out opinion:

Phoenician Dog - National Dog of Malta [what the heck is a "Phoenician dog"?]

In 1935, a burial tomb of a Pharaoh Hound was found in the great cemetery west of the Pyramid of Cheops at Giza with the following inscription recording the ritual burial ceremony, "The dog which was the guard of His Majesty, Abuwtiyuw is his name." [and the dog in this tomb has been proven to be a Pharaoh Hound how?]

The Pharaoh Hound is the National Dog of Malta ( since 1979 ) and is referred to in Maltese as "Il kelb tal Fenek". Many translate this as "the dog of the rabbit". [breed was declared the national dog in 1974, not 1979; dog of the rabbit is a word-for-word translation, who translates word-for-word?]

I contend that the word "Fenek" here refers to the Phoenicians ( Fenici in Maltese - Feniki ) -admittedly the Pharaaoh Hound is an excellent hunting dog, and was probably used for hunting rabbits by the Phoenicians

The Phoenicians introduced the Pharaoh Hound to various places including Egypt, and most probably also to Spain - a land which the Phoenicians named tsepan, “rabbit land “, later translated by the Romans into eSpania.

Dr Frank Portelli MD FRCS(Ed) Fellow Royal Society of Medicine St Philips Hospital Malta 

There is large debate about if the Pharaoh hound is from Egypt or Malta. I believe DNA has led us to believe it is actually an Egyption dog taken to Malta rather than the other way around. The Egyptions also worshiped their pets and made them as gods - Falcons & cats plus the I believe the Pharaoh Hound (God inubis in point) - As history shows Inubus has the head of a Jackal I find it hard to believe that the Egyptions would make a god from an animal that is not even in their sphere of exploration and most likely never even encounted when the hound is such a close likeness to all of Inubus' dipictions and has been proven to be bred in their area. ccooper (artcoop) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Artcoop (talk • contribs) 04:40, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Sorry Artcoop, that's nonsense. Indeed the Maltese dog bears some resemblance to Egyptian depictions of Anubis and other dog-like creatures, but that's hardly enough to link the existing breed. Genetic testing links it with other Mediterranean varieties. The Egyptian theory is, on one hand, an exemplary instance of Victorian style fabulation, on the other a cheap marketing ploy intended to confuse and attract prospective buyers. The dog is Mediterranean and Maltese, because that's where it's historically been for centuries. the roof of this court is too high to be yours (talk) 04:46, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

I believe DNA testing done on animals entombed in Egypt and tested against the breed itself will be the only way this debate can be proven one way or the other. Remember History is writen by those that place their own bias on it.. and the English and German archologists amonst others made many errors of judgement when "Discovering egypt" - the sculptures of the dogs within the tombs bare no real likeness to any dog in the local Area compared to the likeness of the pharoah hound - The Genetic testing done regarding the Mediterranean breeds is likely as these would have interbread with the Pharaoh hound over the centries that you speak of. The breed didn't just appear on the island - it was transported and we are talking about a period around 5000-4000BC Artcoop.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Artcoop (talk • contribs) 05:09, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Well, your ideas are fascinating and if you can source them thoroughly, would make an interesting addition to the breed's history. Until that can be done, I believe they fall under WP:FRINGE. Cheers, the roof of this court is too high to be yours (talk) 05:12, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Artcoop.. DNA testing has been done on the breed and it has proven the breed is not ancient. Not ancient = not from ancient Egypt. Sorry, this has been been historically and genetically proven. Also, the Anubis is a jackle, it is black with a bushy tail--nothing like a Kelb tal-Fenek. You are thinking of a couple of sculptures of the Tesem, which was a type of dog not breed. I can go on and on, but the breed is simply not Egyptian, no matter how much you wish it to be so, Pauline Block made it up.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 20:28, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

Other dog breeds with similar build
Has the pharaoh dog contributed to the greyhound or any other sprinter type dogs? Or have these dog breeds evolved a similar build independently of each other?

2010-07-29 Lena Synnerholm, Märsta, Sweden.

I don't think there is any reason to expect the Pharaoh hound to look like a Greyhound. They hunt different prey in different ways. Strictly speaking the Pharaoh hound is not a sighthound: i.e. it is not expected to take fast prey by speed.--Richard Hawkins (talk) 19:06, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

I am not familiar with the specific properties of different dog breed. To my untrained eye the pharaoh dog seems to be breed for speed just like greyhounds and similar dog breeds. I even mistook the pharaoh dog for a forrunner (!) of such dog breeds. This is why I asked the question.

2010-08-24 Lena Synnerholm, Märsta, Sweden.

With respect, I don't think this is the place for personal questions or personal discussion. Briefly, greyhounds/sighthounds have in general a distinctive anatomy: long or very fexible back, 'tuck up' behind the chest at the lower abdomen, elongated legs. These anatomical aspects are dictated by the requirements of the most efficient form of 'double suspension gallop', which allows these breeds to be the fastest of any dogs over a short to middle distance. Long or longer legs allow maximum stride, tuck up and felixible spine allow for extreme collected and extended phases of the body in the gallop. The Pharaoh hound does not really have any of these characteristics, nor should it be required to have them. It has the tubular solid body and legs of an endurance hunter, which can sprint when required. In contrast, the Podenco Ibicenco does have long legs - not because it is required to be very fast at the gallop, but because it is required to make extreme vertical jumps in rough, & covered terrain. If the PH were a real sighthound, it would look much more like a Magyar Agar than it does. If you require more information, send me a private e-mail, see http://www.fernhill.com/contact-us/ and I will return you a pdf of "Sighthound Identity", The Performance Sighthound Journal, July-September 2007 --Richard Hawkins (talk) 15:40, 30 August 2010 (UTC)

History
People, please stop with the "egyptian myth", it has been debunked historically and via DNA--Pauline Block made it up.

In particular, can we please not edit in the patently false, like:
 * "Additionally, one the Ancient Egyptians' main gods, Anubis, God of the Dead and Embalming, was believed to have been a Pharaoh Hound." No, the Anubis was a jackal, it is black and has a bushy tail, see that Wikipedia article on Anubis.
 * "During the time of the demise of the reign of the Pharaohs, Phoenician traders carried this sacred hound to the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo." There is no evidence of a dog trade. Also the Greeks, Romans and others were also in and around Malta during this period.
 * "Once on the islands, the breed was isolated from the rest of the world for nearly 2000 years. " Malta was far from isolated! It was also suffered from depopulation and went from Greek to Roman to Byzantine to Arab to Norman...the list goes on.
 * you ignore the method of hunting with ferret, basket, and nets which goes hand in hand with the hounds. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 16:12, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

Another article change by an Egyptophile. Folks, the Kelb tal-Fenek is not Egyptian, you can not go by appearance alone (especially when the breed does not even look like some of the statues; e.g., the anubis, which is a jackel). Saying the Kelb tal-Fenek is egyptian just because it looks a little like a few statues is like saying the Kelb tal-Butt (Butt means pocket and is pronounced like boot) is an ancient Aztec breed because it looks so similar to a Chihuahua--which is also not the case. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 17:40, 10 August 2009 (UTC)

Part of the Egyptian Myth is that the Kelb tal-Fenek came from Ancient Egypt and was transported to Malta where it remained "unchanged" a few problems with this:
 * If all the Mediterranean breeds claim to remain virtually unchanged, then why do they all look different?

Kelb is Arabic for dog! It is more than likely a version of the Pharaoh Hound accompanied trading expeditions around the Mediterranean and it was settled in both Malta and Egypt by the Phoenicians. To say the dog originated on Malta, when it is now acknowledged that even ancient breeds most likely originated, according to DNA analysis, in Asia, is false and not veriable by any science. Where is the evidence Pauline Block made up the name Pharaoh Hound? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.52.199.8 (talk) 03:17, 17 February 2011 (UTC) Chris Hardy, Jean-Denis Vigne, Didier Casañe, Nicole Dennebouy, Jean-Claude Mounolou and Monique Monnerot; Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, C.N.R.S., 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France 2 C.N.R.S., URA 1415, Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée, M.N.H.N., 75005 Paris, France. Abstract: "Mammalian species presently living on Mediterranean islands have been brought in by man. The question of their geographical origin and of the time of their introduction is often a matter of debate. We studied this problem using a population of rabbits (European rabbit: Oryctolagus cuniculus) living in Zembra, an island off Tunisia. Archaeological surveys show that rabbit has been introduced to the island by Bronze Age or Roman people, between the IIIrd Millenium B.C. and the IIIrd century A.D. Part of the 16S-rRNA gene of mitochondrial DNAs from fossil bones of different ages (dated back to 130–390 A.D.) was characterized and compared to that of present day rabbits of differing geographical origin. The data suggest that animals present on Zembra in late Roman times belonged to the same maternal lineage as present populations from Northern Spain and Southern France."
 * All of the Mediterranean breeds are used for hunting rabbits, there are no wild rabbits in Egypt. There are domestic rabbits raised for food, but no wild rabbits--the only wild Leporiadea is the Cape Hare Lepus capensis. Source: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt By Richard Hoath, 2009, p 218 If we know anything about canine morphology, it is that hunting breeds are adapted to prey, terrain and hunting methodology (in the case of the Mediterranean breeds terrain is the main factor)--thus forcing one to wonder, how a dog from Egypt that hunted something other than rabbits is supposed to be virtually unchanged from one that is so highly honed to hunting rabbits, in Maltese terrain, using a methodology not seen in Egypt but only in Southern Europe.
 * Rabbits have been in Southern Europe and part of the Southern European diet from at least the Late Upper Palaeolithic period, "Rabbit hunting provided the Late Upper Palaeolithic peoples of central Portugal with substantial calories, a relatively balanced diet of protein and fat, and several important minerals such as calcium." source: The Rabbits of Picareiro Cave: Small Mammal Hunting During the Late Upper Palaeolithic in the Portuguese Estremadura; Bryan Scott Hockett and Nuno Ferreira Bicho —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 18:00, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
 * References to hunting rabbit with a ferret and dog in the Mediterranean: The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals By Peter Ucko, G. Dimbleby, 2007 - 581 pages, on page 489, "The first reference which can be said with any probability to relate to the ferret is that of Strabo (fl. about 63 B.C. to A.D. 24). He states that a Libyan animal, bred purposely, was muzzled and put into rabbit holes when it either pulls out the rabbit with its claws or causes it to bolt to the men and dogs standing ready. The fact that this method is still used by the Ruafa of Morocco suggest that it is an accurate and authentic description, and that the animal used was the ferret." Note: Strabo was describing an event was related to an event on the Balearic Islands. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 19:12, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
 * To know a hunter, one must know its prey, see also: Origin of European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in a Mediterranean island: Zooarchaeology and ancient DNA examination
 * see also http://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/c41/99600122.pdf for history of Rabbits in Malta, note that the Knights prohibited rabbit hunting in Malta for a number of years —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.119.11.33 (talk) 22:12, 28 October 2009 (UTC)