Wild rabbits play crucial ecological roles in British and European ecosystems but face recurring population crashes from myxomatosis and Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease that cause mass suffering.
Wild rabbits experience cyclical welfare crises from myxomatosis and RHD outbreaks. Myxomatosis causes weeks of suffering before death. RHD causes rapid liver failure within 24-72 hours and while faster is still a significant welfare event at population scale. Population crashes create secondary welfare impacts on dependent predators including stoats, foxes, and raptors that face food shortages. Recovering populations face higher disease pressure from accumulated pathogen loads in the environment. Shooting for population control is typically more welfare-conscious than disease, causing rapid death if accurate. Gassing with aluminium phosphide gas is used to kill entire warren populations and causes rapid death from respiratory failure.