New variant of Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)

[Dunwaters]

I have both VHD and Myxie locally. I also currently have a horde of bloody rabbit kits eating the salvias.
The diseases rear up cyclically, the rabbits live in small pockets and individual pockets get hammered, but so far not them all.
The result is a patchwork of rabbits, here this year, gone the next and back in 5-7 years.
The kits in the garden will probably die off when the weather warms up, if I want a few grazers for the pot I’ll have to scout around, locate a pocket and harvest a few before disease hits.
Survival rate from Myxie seem to be quite good, I’ve no idea what it is with VHD because I can’t tell when one has it until I open it up, let alone that its survived.
It is what it is, I don’t lose sleep over it, the rabbits will adapt just as they always have.
They’re inextinguishable.

 

[Mungo]

Is it actually a new variant?

Or is it that population density has crept up enough across the UK that it’s spreading really fast again?

I’d noticed numbers increasing over the last 2-3 years, to the point where some places were starting to look like ‘the old days’. I even had one night out in the winter where I shot 15+ in an hour or two, and I’ve not done that it at least 10 years.

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

I thought there were several variants- we are on the 5th or 6th now.

I haven't seen any meaningful rabbit numbers for 7 years at least. No hint of them picking up again. A few small pockets as others have said.

I don't think we ever will tbh. Even without the virus- everything chips away at them. Loads more birds of prey out there too.

 

[Nickb]

Still plenty rabbits round here

 

[Heym SR20]

One day the rabbits will grow immune to the virus to an extent where the odd one will die from it, but it won’t wipe whole colonies.

Once upon a time rabbits where a vital food source in the British isles. They are ideal as one rabbit makes a good stew in times when any meat was a luxury. Warrens were looked after by Warreners. They fed themselves and reproduced rapidly so there was a constant supply of fresh meat.

Even as recently as the war rabbits were an integral part of the British diet.

And then we turned our noses, wanting instead mass produced chicken, pork and beef and some extent lamb.

Nobody looked after the warrens and rabbits became a pest so we introduced disease to get rid of them.

 

[Overlay]

Still plenty rabbits round here

View attachment 416761

Very nice bag, good job . it’s the gralloching that takes time

 

[Nickb]

Very nice bag, good job . it’s the gralloching that takes time

I do them as I'm going

 

[Tyla]

I spent my youth hinting rabbits. They are gone now. I'd feel bad killing them if they were here to be honest. Best thing they could do is put a 10 year moratorium on killing them to see if they can bounce back. They could put badger in the GL instead

 

[Jagged77]

Just went foxing on an old permission that pre covid was over run with rabbits - all the scrapings and holes causing havoc for the cattle. Something decimated them a couple of years ago but encouraging to see a decent number back last night.