For the elil in general, go to Weasels
| “ | Welcome back to hunting ground, long-ear...
―The Weasel "welcoming" Pipkin
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” |
The Weasel is a sinister predator and a minor antagonist to the Watership Down rabbits, who appeared only in the first season of the television series of Watership Down.
Appearances[]
Home on the Down[]
When Hazel and his rabbit companions first arrived on Watership Down, they were unaware that a weasel was lurking around the hills nearby, hunting for prey. He found Pipkin alone in the open, who was looking for worms for Kehaar, and the weasel would have killed the young buck if Bigwig and Hawkbit hadn't appeared and driven the carnivore off, having been warned by Hannah that the weasel was lurking around.
The weasel later discovered where the rabbits were living atop Watership Down when they were undergoing a game of bobstones, and plotted to attack them that very night. The attempt failed when Kehaar woke up and noticed the carnivore approaching, screeching out and alerting the rabbits of the weasel's presence. Knowing that he was outnumbered by the rabbits, the weasel fled back into the hills, vowing to get the rabbits 'one by one.'
True to his word, the weasel returned the following night for a second attempt to hunt the rabbits. He was lured into a rock tunnel within the warren by Hannah as part of Hazel's plan to get rid of the weasel. Once inside, the rabbits collapsed the entrance, and the weasel was trapped within the tunnel and forced to go to the far side of Watership Down, hopefully to never to return to cause trouble for the rabbits.
The Vision[]
The weasel returned to Watership Down to seek revenge upon the rabbits who live there for sealing him underground. Fortunately, by the time he attacked the warren, the weasel was driven off after falling into a pit, getting stabbed in the underbelly by the spines of two hedgehogs, and finally chased away by Bigwig and his Owsla, who had prepared themselves for the carnivore's arrival thanks to Fiver's vision of the approaching elil. The weasel, however, was still persistent on having his revenge, vowing that he would wait out in the hills until the rabbits came out sooner or later. While hunting desperately for food, the weasel found Fiver alone in the hills, who was sad and upset about seemingly bringing bad things to Watership Down because of his visions. The weasel cornered the young buck in a hole, only for Bigwig, Blackavar, Dandelion, and Captain Holly to arrive just in time to deal with the vicious carnivore once and for all.
Lost[]
Fiver worried that the weasel had ended up in the underground caverns when the rabbits trapped him in the rock tunnel. However, this fear is unfounded, because the weasel had escaped the rock tunnels by "The Vision" and was either driven off or killed by Bigwig and his Owsla.
Fate[]
It is unknown what happened to the weasel after Bigwig and his Owsla jumped in to save Fiver. It is likely that the sinister carnivore was either killed or driven away from Watership Down for good after the rabbits came, for the future safety of their warren.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The weasel resembles an otter due to its large size and long, tapered tail.
- The weasel's name is never mentioned.
| Non-rabbit characters |
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Cross-media Badger • Bob (dog) • Cemetery Owl • Crows • Fox • Hawks • Kehaar (gull) • Tab (cat) • Unnamed Mouse • Yona (hedgehog)Humans Doctor • Lucy • Mr. Cane • Mrs. Cane Folklore Lord Frith • Prince Rainbow Books only Introduced in Watership DownDoctor (human) • Hawock (pheasant) • King Darzin (beaver) • Rowsby Woof (dog) Introduced in Tales from Watership Down Flairgold (glanbrin) • King of Tomorrow (deer) • King of Yesterday (bison) • Old Brock (badger) • Shindyke (glanbrin) • Unnamed Glanbrin • Zhuron (illip) Bark (badger) • Calohki (puffin) • Duster (dog) • Frost (lamb) • Gluk (gull) • Hannah (mouse) • Hyacinth (pig) • Katerina (gull) • Owls • Puffins • Ruffle (moorhen) • Skree (hawk) • Slate (turtle) • Tabitha (cat) • Tassel (squirrel) • Weasel |