Rabbit pictured doing battle with baby leopards and tigers in Chinese zoo

... but there was sadly only ever going to be one winner

In these extraordinary images from China, a white rabbit can be seen holding its own in a cage fight with leopards and tigers.

While it might seem like an unfair contest, zoologists at a wildlife park in Qingdao, Shandong province said the rabbit was playing a valuable role in a scientific experiment.

They argued that testing the natural instincts of captive, two-month-old tigers justified pairing them in a small cage with their natural prey.

If we give them the benefit of the doubt, it can be observed that for a time the tigers simply played around with the rabbit, which approached them somewhat inquisitively.

Sadly, the little animal didn’t fare as well when later pitted against a a slightly older leopard cub. Though it was able to land a strong kick in its efforts to escape, the rabbit eventually, and perhaps predictably, lost the battle.