How introduced viral diseases cause mass mortality events in wild rabbit populations and what this means for wildlife welfare and ecosystems.
Myxomatosis causes one of the most prolonged and visible forms of wildlife suffering - infected rabbits develop progressive blindness, severe skin lesions, and respiratory failure over 10-14 days. Mass mortality events affect dozens of individual animals in localized areas, creating extended suffering. In Australia where rabbits cause significant ecological damage, this is accepted as a population management tool. In Europe where rabbits are keystone prey species, the same disease causes population crashes that affect eagles, foxes, and Iberian lynx.