We’ve all seen our fair share of weird things at the airport – from crazy items being found in people’s suitcases, to pet-owners taking their furry friends abroad.
However, travelers at San José Mineta International Airport (SJC), were shocked to see a giant rabbit being pushed around in a stroller yesterday evening.
Jemma Wilson took to Twitter, sharing a photo of the hilarious sight, and announced ‘I am at the airport and there is a giant rabbit in a stroller, I repeat a giant rabbit in a stroller.’
The tweet has racked up over 80,000 views, with people loving the bunny on wheels – the pampered rabbit even had fans blowing cool air onto his face and was wearing a visor.
As the tweet gained more traction, it came to light that this wasn’t just any rabbit, the animal was actually local celebrity known as ‘Alex the Great’.
X users who had never heard of the rabbit before, wrote ‘This can’t be real’ and ‘I need way more info. Like what airport. And where he’s going. And does he get his own seat on the plane, sit on his owner’s lap or go under the seat?’
Others immediately recognized the local treasure, writing ‘it’s @AThegreat100 and he’s v famous in the Bay area and as the #1 @SFGiants fan’ and ‘That is Alex the Great, a local celebrity!’
Alex the Great is a 28-pound therapy rabbit at the California airport, who is a bit of an internet ‘celebrity’ in the San Francisco area.
The adorable bunny helps and comforts nervous flyers at the airport – he’s part of the largest breed of domestic rabbit, known as Flemish Giant.
He’s known for being ‘docile’ and ‘patient’ with travelers and is often seen throughout the airport, lounging on passengers laps.
Alex’s owner, Kei Kato, told MailOnline that she and her fiancé Josh Row, love that he ‘puts smiles on people’s faces’ and can make someone’s day.
She said ‘This is why we volunteer, you’d be amazed how many people really loved seeing him and even have some people start to cry because they were going through something and petting him makes them feel better.
‘We are also creating awareness that rabbits are amazing and smart. We do let people know that they’re not easy to be taken care of but if you take the time to love and train them, they can be amazing.’
As well as San Jose airport, Alex the Great also makes appearances at San Francisco Airport (SFO) as part of the ‘Wag Brigade’.
In 2013 the Wag Brigade program was launched by SFO to bring trained dogs to the terminals to make passenger travel more enjoyable.
The San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) PROVIDED dogs certified through their Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program to roam the terminals and help nervous flyers.
Later, Alex joined the team, as well as Lilou, a Juliana-breed pig – the animals wear vests that read ‘Pet Me!’ which identify them.
Before taking on his airport duties, Alex the Great had already stolen hearts of many at San Francisco Giants baseball games and Golden State Warriors basketball games, making him a ‘legend’ in the local area.
His owner takes him along to the sports events, where he often wears his very own team jersey.
The fluffy bunny has also appeared on the screen multiple times, stealing the show and bringing joy to people in the stadium who stop to give him a cuddle.
He rose to internet fame after one particular San Francisco Giants game, where his owner told ABC 7 that ‘everybody was cheering for him’ and ‘people in the other stands were saying ‘show us the bunny!”
Since then, he’s become a much-loved internet celeb, getting spotted by followers at sports games and the airport.
He has over 18,000 followers on Instagram and his bio reads that he wants to ‘spread joy to everyone’ on his adventures.
The rabbit even has his own statue designed by a high school artist, which sits outside a restaurant in Cupertino, California.
It’s sign reads ‘This rabbit was inspired by Alex the Great, a real live comfort rabbit who has become the unofficial mascot of the SF Giants’.
Share or comment on this article: Some-bunny to love! 28lb therapy rabbit called Alex the Great turns heads after it’s wheeled through airport in a pram.
