'If you ever want to be a parent, follow the example of rabbits'

Poland's Health Ministry says the country has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe.

To counter this, it has put out a short video praising rabbits for producing many offspring at such a quick rate.

The YouTube video shows rabbits munching on lettuce and carrots while a rabbit “narrator” reveals the secret of their big families: exercise, a healthy diet and little stress. 

The brief appearance of a human couple enjoying a romantic picnic hints that a little romance might help, and a wine glass turned upside down suggested an anti-alcohol message.

Viewers are told, “If you ever want to be a parent, follow the example of rabbits.”

It is the latest step by the conservative government in this mostly Catholic country of 38 million to reverse a shrinking population. 

European Union figures show that Poland’s birth rate was 1.32 children per woman in 2015. 

Only Portugal had a lower fertility rate, though the figures in Spain and Greece were almost as low as Poland.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that it was trying to encourage Poles in their reproductive years between the ages of 18 and 45  to adopt a healthy lifestyle that would improve their reproductive health.

It also said it was seeking to raise public awareness of the issue in a way that “did not offend anyone and was not vulgar.”