Rabbit Myxomatosis: Disease Control and Individual Suffering

Myxomatosis, deliberately introduced to control rabbit populations, causes one of the most prolonged and severe disease deaths in wildlife.

Key Facts

Myxomatosis was deliberately released in Australia in 1950 and France in 1952
The initial mortality rate was 99.8% in naive populations
Death from myxomatosis takes 10-14 days through progressive inflammation, blindness, and organ failure
The disease is now enzootic and cycles through rabbit populations annually
Vaccination is available for domestic rabbits but not practical for wild populations

Welfare Considerations

Myxomatosis causes extraordinary suffering. Infected rabbits develop progressive swelling around the face, eyes, and genitals that causes blindness within days. They remain conscious throughout 10-14 days of progressive deterioration, unable to feed or flee. Despite being used as a population management tool, the welfare cost to each individual rabbit is extreme. Euthanizing visibly infected wild rabbits is a welfare kindness that requires no license in most jurisdictions.

What You Can Do

Vaccinate domestic rabbits against myxomatosis annually
Euthanize obviously myxomatosis-affected wild rabbits humanely if able to do so safely
Support research into myxomatosis vaccine bait programs for wild rabbit welfare
Advocate for ethical review of disease-based pest control programs
Report myxomatosis outbreaks to wildlife authorities in areas where it is not yet established