Hunting Rabbit health/disease problems article By @hobson

[Zed1]

Anyone help me identify this inside a rabbits leg meat? View attachment 426865

As mentioned by @Kalibrgun,that's definitely a Tapeworm cyst,the rabbits i shot on one place many years ago were seriously infected with Tapeworm,nasty bloody things!

 

[Zed1]

VHD has been the downfall of bunnies here in the SE. We keep getting little pockets starting up,see the boaters grow to about ½ size then they're all gone. It's reportable so I did years ago and Defra said yes we know, its everywhere. Some do gooders in the SW released infected bunnies from a lab!

I'd like to know how VHD made it's way over here from Australia in the first place!,it has absolutely decimated the rabbit population up here,they're a rare commodity now,good for farmers & gardeners but it's played hell with the food chain.

 

[Bighit]

I'd like to know how VHD made it's way over here from Australia in the first place!,it has absolutely decimated the rabbit population up here,they're a rare commodity now,good for farmers & gardeners but it's played hell with the food chain.

It came here from exhibition rabbits to the UK some claim.


It was in the UK before being introduced to Australia .

This may not be accurate.


History of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)
Timeline

1984: A highly lethal disease broke out in rabbits in China. In less than a year there was a loss of over 140 million rabbits (Abrantes et al. 2012). The disease was characterised by haemorrhages around the body and a calicivirus was identified as the cause. The disease was named ‘viral haemorrhagic disease’ (VHD) or ‘rabbit haemorrhagic disease’ (RHD) and the latter name has become the standard term in recent years. RHD was transmitted from China to rabbits in Korea by importation of infected rabbit fur. Subsequently, the disease spread to other parts of the world, almost certainly by trade in rabbit meat and fur, or by consignments of infected rabbits (Cooke, 2016).

1986: RHD was diagnosed in Italy (Morisse et al. 1991) and by 1988, the disease was reported in other parts of Europe where it had escaped into the wild rabbit population.

1988: Development of inactivated vaccines against RHD in China (Huang, 1991).

1990: RHD reached Scandinavia. Wild rabbits in the densely populated island of Gotland became nearly extinct within 1 week with hundreds of rabbits dead in the fields and many more dying in their burrows.

1991: RHD was first reported in UK in a group of exhibition rabbits (Fuller et al. 1993) before spreading through the wild and domestic rabbit population. It was a notifiable disease.

1995: RHD was released onto Wardang Island, off Southern Australia, during an investigation into using the virus as biological control of the wild rabbit population. The virus escaped to the mainland where it spread rapidly and became endemic, killing millions of wild rabbits. Within weeks, there was a 95% reduction in the wild rabbit population in a National Park close to the source of the outbreak (Mutze et al. 2013).

1996: In UK, The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food removed the notifiable status of RHD because the restriction of movement had not prevented the spread of the disease. Two brands of inactivated vaccine (Cylap and Lapinject) were given temporary marketing authorisation in UK.

1997: RHD was introduced illegally into New Zealand.

2000: The first confirmed case of RHD in the United States occurred in a small breeding colony of exhibition rabbits in Iowa. Twenty five of the 27 rabbits died with no indication of the source of the infection. Subsequently, sporadic outbreaks of RHD occurred in US, but the disease was contained, probably because the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) does not live in the wild population (Campagnolo et al. 2003). The most common rabbits is the Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), which was not susceptible to the original RHD virus.

2000-2010: Although RHD was endemic, vaccination programmes were effective in controlling the disease in domestic rabbits. Wild rabbit populations recovered.



Then RHDV2 came from France to the UK.
Arrival of RHDV2

2010: An outbreak of RHD occurred on a rabbit farm in France in which 25% of vaccinated breeding does died. Further outbreaks in vaccinated rabbits took place in north-western France and during the same period, several outbreaks were reported in the wild rabbit population. Tissue samples collected during these outbreaks revealed the presence of a virus that was genetically related to, but different from known strains of RHDV (Le Gall- Reculé et al. 2013). This new virus was named RHDV2. It spread throughout Europe.

2014: RHDV2 was reported in the UK where it spread rapidly (Westcott and Choudhury, 2015). It was evident that vaccination with the existing vaccine against RHD (Nobivac Myxo-RHD) was ineffective.

2015: RHDV2 was detected in Australia although it is not clear how the infection was introduced

There was a rapid decline in the wild rabbit population ( Mutze et al. 2018).

2016: Outbreaks of RHDV2 were killing rabbits in rescue centres, breeding colonies and show rabbits as well as individual pets. Vaccines against RHDV2 were imported into the UK using a Special Import Certificate (Saunders, 2016). It was becoming obvious that RHDV2 was replacing RHDV1 as the cause of RHD (McGowan and Choudhury, 2016; Marschang et al. 2018).

2018: RHDV2 had spread to North America. In April 2018, RHDV2 was reported in a large colony of feral rabbits on a university campus on Vancouver Island, Canada before spreading to other areas of British Columbia.

2018: RHDV2 was confirmed in New Zealand. Again, it is not clear how the virus arrived in a different continent.

2019: Outbreaks began in the United States (OIE, World Organisation for Animal Health).
2020: RHDV2 continued to spread in US with outbreaks in Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Colorado, California and Washington DC. Details of the RHDV2 epidemic in UK pet rabbits were published (Harcourt-Brown et al., 2020a, Harcourt-Brown et al. 2020b)


again may not be accurate.

In June 1952, Paul-Félix Armand-Delille, the owner of an estate in northwestern France, inoculated two wild rabbits with the Lausanne strain of myxoma virus.[42] His intention was to only eradicate rabbits on his property and town, but the disease quickly spread through Western Europe, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[1] Some dissemination of the virus clearly appeared deliberate, such as the introduction into Britain in 1953 and the introduction into Ireland in 1954.[43] Unlike in Australia, however, strenuous efforts were made to stop the spread in Europe. These efforts proved in vain. According to estimates, the wild rabbit population in the United Kingdom fell by 99%, in France by 90% to 95%, and in Spain by 95%. This in turn drove specialized rabbit predators, such as the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle, to the brink of extinction.[44][45]

 

[chouchin66]

It came here from exhibition rabbits to the UK some claim.


It was in the UK before being introduced to Australia .

This may not be accurate.


History of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)
Timeline

1984: A highly lethal disease broke out in rabbits in China. In less than a year there was a loss of over 140 million rabbits (Abrantes et al. 2012). The disease was characterised by haemorrhages around the body and a calicivirus was identified as the cause. The disease was named ‘viral haemorrhagic disease’ (VHD) or ‘rabbit haemorrhagic disease’ (RHD) and the latter name has become the standard term in recent years. RHD was transmitted from China to rabbits in Korea by importation of infected rabbit fur. Subsequently, the disease spread to other parts of the world, almost certainly by trade in rabbit meat and fur, or by consignments of infected rabbits (Cooke, 2016).

1986: RHD was diagnosed in Italy (Morisse et al. 1991) and by 1988, the disease was reported in other parts of Europe where it had escaped into the wild rabbit population.

1988: Development of inactivated vaccines against RHD in China (Huang, 1991).

1990: RHD reached Scandinavia. Wild rabbits in the densely populated island of Gotland became nearly extinct within 1 week with hundreds of rabbits dead in the fields and many more dying in their burrows.

1991: RHD was first reported in UK in a group of exhibition rabbits (Fuller et al. 1993) before spreading through the wild and domestic rabbit population. It was a notifiable disease.

1995: RHD was released onto Wardang Island, off Southern Australia, during an investigation into using the virus as biological control of the wild rabbit population. The virus escaped to the mainland where it spread rapidly and became endemic, killing millions of wild rabbits. Within weeks, there was a 95% reduction in the wild rabbit population in a National Park close to the source of the outbreak (Mutze et al. 2013).

1996: In UK, The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food removed the notifiable status of RHD because the restriction of movement had not prevented the spread of the disease. Two brands of inactivated vaccine (Cylap and Lapinject) were given temporary marketing authorisation in UK.

1997: RHD was introduced illegally into New Zealand.

2000: The first confirmed case of RHD in the United States occurred in a small breeding colony of exhibition rabbits in Iowa. Twenty five of the 27 rabbits died with no indication of the source of the infection. Subsequently, sporadic outbreaks of RHD occurred in US, but the disease was contained, probably because the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) does not live in the wild population (Campagnolo et al. 2003). The most common rabbits is the Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), which was not susceptible to the original RHD virus.

2000-2010: Although RHD was endemic, vaccination programmes were effective in controlling the disease in domestic rabbits. Wild rabbit populations recovered.



Then RHDV2 came from France to the UK.
Arrival of RHDV2

2010: An outbreak of RHD occurred on a rabbit farm in France in which 25% of vaccinated breeding does died. Further outbreaks in vaccinated rabbits took place in north-western France and during the same period, several outbreaks were reported in the wild rabbit population. Tissue samples collected during these outbreaks revealed the presence of a virus that was genetically related to, but different from known strains of RHDV (Le Gall- Reculé et al. 2013). This new virus was named RHDV2. It spread throughout Europe.

2014: RHDV2 was reported in the UK where it spread rapidly (Westcott and Choudhury, 2015). It was evident that vaccination with the existing vaccine against RHD (Nobivac Myxo-RHD) was ineffective.

2015: RHDV2 was detected in Australia although it is not clear how the infection was introduced

There was a rapid decline in the wild rabbit population ( Mutze et al. 2018).

2016: Outbreaks of RHDV2 were killing rabbits in rescue centres, breeding colonies and show rabbits as well as individual pets. Vaccines against RHDV2 were imported into the UK using a Special Import Certificate (Saunders, 2016). It was becoming obvious that RHDV2 was replacing RHDV1 as the cause of RHD (McGowan and Choudhury, 2016; Marschang et al. 2018).

2018: RHDV2 had spread to North America. In April 2018, RHDV2 was reported in a large colony of feral rabbits on a university campus on Vancouver Island, Canada before spreading to other areas of British Columbia.

2018: RHDV2 was confirmed in New Zealand. Again, it is not clear how the virus arrived in a different continent.

2019: Outbreaks began in the United States (OIE, World Organisation for Animal Health).
2020: RHDV2 continued to spread in US with outbreaks in Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Colorado, California and Washington DC. Details of the RHDV2 epidemic in UK pet rabbits were published (Harcourt-Brown et al., 2020a, Harcourt-Brown et al. 2020b)


again may not be accurate.

In June 1952, Paul-Félix Armand-Delille, the owner of an estate in northwestern France, inoculated two wild rabbits with the Lausanne strain of myxoma virus.[42] His intention was to only eradicate rabbits on his property and town, but the disease quickly spread through Western Europe, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[1] Some dissemination of the virus clearly appeared deliberate, such as the introduction into Britain in 1953 and the introduction into Ireland in 1954.[43] Unlike in Australia, however, strenuous efforts were made to stop the spread in Europe. These efforts proved in vain. According to estimates, the wild rabbit population in the United Kingdom fell by 99%, in France by 90% to 95%, and in Spain by 95%. This in turn drove specialized rabbit predators, such as the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle, to the brink of extinction.[44][45]

Why is it all the nasty stuff seems spread from the far east ? Coincidence ?

 

[Bighit]

Why is it all the nasty stuff seems spread from the far east ? Coincidence ?

From what I have read it's not man made, how accurate that is who knows .



China is the largest rabbit rabbit farming country going by the reports I have read .

Quote

China is highly ranked in the global rabbit industry, accounting for 43% of the worldwide slaughtered rabbits with 44% of the global share of rabbit meat output (Wu, Seema, & Huang, 2016).

A good place for it evolve I would say .

That is supposedly how it spread as my earlier post said via infected fur.

 

[metalman]

Perhaps we could try and blame the Bats again

 

[Rottweiler]

Perhaps we could try and blame the Bats again

Any critter that roosts in massive numbers has to have developed a very effective immune system to survive.
Any viruses or bacteria or other transmissible nasties that do manage to infect them are potentially very nasty if they make the jump to species with less robust defences.

 

[RockSolidAlibi]

Some very interesting posts there, thanks for sharing guys. Really puts into perspective how hard of a life this things have. Quite a shame really as rabbits are lovely creatures and its a shame more people don't give them the respect they deserve.

 

[varta330]

Fascinating reading. Except for isolated pockets there are no large quantities of rabbits left in my area. I remember driving back from work most mornings and was guaranteed at least one roadkill rabbit to the feed the ferrets. Now you don't see any!

 

[Staffy1]

Why is it all the nasty stuff seems spread from the far east ? Coincidence ?

lol

 

[TimD81]

Never eating rabbit again

 

[BenM]

Thanks for this. I've seen tapeworm cysts but didn't know what is was at the time. Revolting.

 

[bill57]

Thanks for this. I've seen tapeworm cysts but didn't know what is was at the time. Revolting.

Look on the positive side - you'll fit back into your 70's disco gear again.