Everyone knows the story of the hare and the tortoise but have you heard the one about the bunny and the turtle?

Brighton Sea Life Centre thought nothing could rival new star attraction Gulliver the giant sea turtle.

Then along came Benny the bunny to steal all the limelight.

The fluffy fur ball has set up home in the flower beds outside the centre's entrance in Marine Parade, Brighton.

Now, Benny-spotting is proving so popular many visitors are failing to make it through the doors - leaving Gulliver nursing a bad case of rejection.

Meanwhile, staff continue their attempts to catch the elusive bunny.

Photographers from The Argus, who hoped to capture the rabbit on film, had no more success as he retreated to his burrow yesterday.

Despite dropping bits of lettuce around the area, Benny's one-rabbit show looks set to run and run, much to the frustration of Sea Life boss Toby Forer.

He said: "Not only has Benny eluded our staff, his 'now you see me, now you don't' tactics have kept some families occupied for hours.

"Unfortunately he's a really cute character and the kids love him, which means some of them never actually get around to coming through our doors."

The centre is desperate to track down Benny's owner in the hope he or she can entice their pet back into a cage and restore Gulliver to his undisputed star billing.

If anyone has lost a young, slate-grey pet rabbit, please contact Toby on 01273 604234.