In a Spanish convent, ice creams and homemade cakes are helping to save a forgotten giant.
The eleven Franciscan nuns of the Convent of Sant'Antonio da Padova do not prepare these specialties to renovate the roof or buy new religious clothes.
They do this to protect one of the rarest animal breeds in the region: the Spanish giant rabbit.
An extraordinary animal, capable of reaching about 9 kilos of weight, which was once widespread in the countryside of the Iberian Peninsula.
Its history, however, has changed over time.
During the Spanish Civil War, these great rabbits represented a fundamental source of support for many families and orphanages suffering from hunger.
Then, over the years, that race that had helped so many people risked being forgotten.
About ten years ago, Sister Consuelo realized that animals raised in the convent were likely to disappear.
Since then, the mission of the religious changed.
A part of the convent was transformed into a true sanctuary of conservation.
Today it houses more than thirty specimens.
Every morning, Sister Consuelo, thanks to his veterinary training, personally controls the conditions of animals: he observes their behavior, checks the spaces in which they live and makes sure they have an adequate temperature.
But taking care of a rare species requires resources.
For this reason the nuns produce and sell homemade desserts and ice creams, destinating the proceeds to support the project.
Animals, on the other hand, are not sold: they are entrusted to schools and breeders authorized with the aim of promoting breeding and safeguarding race.
For these women it is not only about protecting a species.
It is a way to defend a part of creation and preserve a story that risked disappearing.
Sometimes the survival of a rare animal does not depend on large organizations or huge funding.
Sometimes it comes from the determination of a few people who simply decide not to surrender.