Alex the Great, S.F.'s beloved influencer rabbit, dies after cancer battle
The large Flemish rabbit underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on Thursday, July 17, according to his family, who provided regular updates on his health via social media.
Though Alex made it through the procedure, he wound up in the Intensive Care Unit of UC Davis Veterinary the following day due to a complication that arose during treatment.
Alex's owners, Josh Row and Kei Koc, said he 'crossed the rainbow' on the morning of Monday, July 21.
'This is the hardest news,' they wrote in an X post. 'The pain is unbearable.'
The four-year-old rabbit was rescued by Row and Koc from a meat farm in Modesto when he was a small bunny.
Alex attended his first San Francisco Giants game when he was four months old, and quickly rose to social media fame by serving as the team's' 'rally rabbit,' frequently charming attendees in the stands during games at Oracle Park.
Alex also comforted travelers at SFO as one of its therapy animals.
Last year, he even stopped by Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park, where he was invited to meet pop star Chappell Roan.
According to his owners, Alex's health troubles began in May, when he had to undergo emergency surgery at SoMA Animal Hospital to remove a cancerous tumor. Though he was medically cleared to attend Giants games by the start of June, he returned to the hospital last week to get a second tumor removed.
His family noted that Alex had several cardiac arrests during the procedure and 'just couldn't pull through.'
Before he went into his second surgery, Alex's family held a meet-up at Mission Rock for fans to give him some good luck cuddles. They also put out an open call for donations to help cover his medical bills.
Dozens of devastated fans took to social media on Monday to share their favorite moments with Alex and offer their condolences to his family, who have been reposting several of these messages to his Instagram stories.
'We will continue your legacy and spread joy and build a positive loving community,' his family wrote on Monday afternoon via Instagram. 'No words to describe the pain, no time would heal the big hole in our hearts.'
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