Deadly rabbit disease spreading across the US

Yikes! I'm here in the Maryland area and we hunt deer and rabbits here so this is gonna hit hard.

A deadly virus is spreading across the southwestern United States and killing wild rabbits on this continent for the first time, wildlife officials say.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 can cause swelling, internal bleeding and liver damage in rabbits, hares, jackrabbits and pikas, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Deadly rabbit disease spreading across US

a reply to: Jaellma

The highly contagious disease spreads only between rabbits and is not known to affect humans, livestock or other kinds of pets. Wildlife officials are emphasizing that it is not related to coronavirus, though there are some parallels.

... advised pet owners to be cautious about where they're going and "basic biosecurity" measures like taking off your shoes before you enter the house to prevent introducing the virus to domestic animals.

"The best thing everybody can do is stay home, keep their rabbits at home."

I'm getting mixed messages and a strong whiff of fear.

A report from 3 years ago in our neighborhood.

Jane Pritchard said Wednesday tests confirmed four rabbits in the Parksville area, about 150 kilometers northeast of Victoria, died from a highly infectious virus. The tests confirm the presence of rabbit hemorrhagic disease, which is caused by a calicivirus that only affects rabbits, she said.

The virus, which causes death within 36 hours, killed hundreds of rabbits last year across much of Vancouver Island and in Delta near Vancouver.

Nothing new here.

a reply to: Jaellma

Sounds like they need to send a boatload to Australia...

a reply to: abigredneck

Same here. I live on the island and breed rabbits. I know others who got hit by it and lost most or all of their herds. Some of us are very suspicious that it started mostly on university, airport, fairground, and public works land that was plagued by European feral rabbits and the damage they cause. Sad to see the extent it has gone and that it is now affecting wild species of rabbit such as cottontails and jackrabbits as they are so critical to the food chain.

It's a disgusting virus. It has decimated the population of rabbits and hares in the UK, but in the last couple of years I have seen signs of recovery - that is I have seen more hares in the fields where I live.

It's an interesting observation that this virus also originated in China back in the mid 1980's. Wat is it with China and their viruses?

I'm getting mixed messages and a strong whiff of fear.

a reply to: MarkOfTheV

Why, are you a rabbit?



The deer herds in the central and southeast have been plagued with a chronic wasting type of disease for years now.

The best thing everybody can do is stay home

Wait so now where supposed to stay home because a rabbit could get a disease?

a reply to: paraphi

Not quite the truth/whole story... It got out of hand in China but was traced back to angora rabbits originally imported from Germany. The current disease is a mutation of the original form of rabbit haemorrhagic disease that existed in Europe.

originally posted by: igloo
Not quite the truth/whole story... It got out of hand in China ...

It was first identified in China. It's irrelevent where the rabbits came from. Besides, as you say the virus has since mutated, but from it the initial infection in China it spread back across the world, and in to Europe.

a reply to: Jaellma

If you eat an infected rabbit, the disease would jump to humans, like BAT-to-MAN Covid-19 did in Wuhan?

a reply to: paraphi

Thus, if there are signs covid 19 showed up in North America before the Chinese outbreak we should be very careful about dissing another country. Blame is getting us into dangerous territory. All countries blame other countries for virus/disease and really its pointless and xenophobic to do so. With world wide travel nowadays there really is no such thing as borders to disease. I will admit I'm a little touchy about all the anti china stuff. I have a very close Scottish friend who is of Chinese origin and she is getting scared to go out due to the racism hurled at her while simply grocery shopping.

Put the rabbits in lock down, produce one billion tiny bunny sized face masks, tell them they’re insensitive racists that want grandmas to die if they leave their burrows

originally posted by: igloo
Thus, if there are signs covid 19 showed up in North America before the Chinese outbreak we should be very careful about dissing another country. Blame is getting us into dangerous territory.

Oh, for Heaven's sake. Take a chill-pill. The facts which are not scientifically disputed, is that viral haemorrhagic fever in rabbits originated in China, in that the disease it was first identified in China and subsequently spread out from China.

This OP has sod-all to do with coronavirus, which also incidentally originated in China, but that’s another discussion, eh?

Deadly rabbits?

Run away! Run away!


(Oh. Never mind.)

a reply to: Jaellma

I hope it doesn't make it here. These little buggers hopping all around the neighborhood keep the foxes and coyotes fed, which I'm convinced is why my neighborhood is relatively skunk free.

I also consider them my emergency meat.

originally posted by: igloo
a reply to: paraphi

Thus, if there are signs covid 19 showed up in North America before the Chinese outbreak we should be very careful about dissing another country. Blame is getting us into dangerous territory. All countries blame other countries for virus/disease and really its pointless and xenophobic to do so. With world wide travel nowadays there really is no such thing as borders to disease. I will admit I'm a little touchy about all the anti china stuff. I have a very close Scottish friend who is of Chinese origin and she is getting scared to go out due to the racism hurled at her while simply grocery shopping.

Calm down. I refuse to stop having conversations about real things because you or whomever is sensitive or uneducated on the subject. PC culture is only there to stop honest and open sharing of opinions and knowledge.

Stating a fact isnt racism or being racist. If something originates in China.. which a hell of a lot of things do... then it originates in China. You should wonder WHY so many things originate in China. There actually are borders in disease. Blame should be assigned to countries who's practices and lack of concern or care threaten the WORLD. Us big kids dont single out any individual Asians for retribution.. well unless its Xi and he has done more harm to the Chinese people than any dumbass racists. The best way to help your friend is to be knowledgeable on a subject and not attempt to shut down conversation.

Read and learn.. or watch.. or listen... or dont.
www.pbs.org...

originally posted by: abigredneck
A report from 3 years ago in our neighborhood.

Jane Pritchard said Wednesday tests confirmed four rabbits in the Parksville area, about 150 kilometers northeast of Victoria, died from a highly infectious virus. The tests confirm the presence of rabbit hemorrhagic disease, which is caused by a calicivirus that only affects rabbits, she said.

The virus, which causes death within 36 hours, killed hundreds of rabbits last year across much of Vancouver Island and in Delta near Vancouver.

Nothing new here.

a reply to: Jaellma

Yup, when populations get out of control, mother nature balances it out.

a reply to: Jaellma

Time to shut the country down. We've been back up and running long enough.

a reply to: Jaellma

This is a late reply but is relevant. Back in the 1930s the government sent hunters into this area to eradicate as much of the wild rabbit population as they could because Tularemia was rampant in the wild rabbit populations around here.