Illinois rabbit, 16, dubbed world's oldest by Guinness

March 8 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman's pet rabbit has been declared the oldest in the world by Guinness World Records after celebrating his 16th birthday.

Mick, an agouti rabbit from Berwyn, Ill., marked his 16th birthday on Feb. 9, and Guinness said that milestone made him the world's oldest rabbit (living).

Liz Rench, Mick's owner, said she met the bunny in 2004 when she was volunteering at an animal shelter, and a friend of hers ended up adopting the rabbit. Her friend later ended up moving out of town, and Mick came to to live with Rench.

"I am very proud of him and have been very inspired by the resilience and positivity he's shown throughout his life," Rench said.

"There were countless times I thought that I was going to lose him, but he's been able to adapt to the aging process with a good attitude and stays strong," she said. "I've been caring for rabbits for 20 years and have never had a rabbit live beyond 13. Mick is extremely special and I feel lucky to have him in my life!"

The oldest rabbit ever is listed by Guinness as Flopsy, a wild-born Australian rabbit that was taken in by a Tasmania resident in 1964 and lived for nearly 19 more years.