Wild rabbit populations in the UK have declined by over 60% since the 1990s due to disease, habitat loss, and predation. Understanding rabbit ecology helps communities support surviving populations while managing human-wildlife conflict.
Wild rabbit welfare is complicated by the dual reality of population collapse in most areas and significant agricultural conflict in areas where populations remain. The welfare dimensions of the diseases that have reduced rabbit populations are severe: myxomatosis causes prolonged suffering over 10-14 days, with swelling, blindness, and respiratory distress before death. RHDV2 causes more rapid death but is spreading rapidly and causing population crashes across the UK. These are not natural regulatory processes in the sense of predation — they are introduced diseases with welfare implications for every individual affected. The ecological consequences of rabbit decline compound the welfare dimension: the short-turf grassland habitat rabbits maintain supports a cascade of species including rare invertebrates, ground-nesting birds, and specialist plants. Population management through culling where rabbits cause agricultural damage must now be balanced against the conservation concern for a species in significant overall decline. Lethal control methods that minimize suffering — shooting over warren entrances, approved fumigants — are preferable to leg traps and snares that cause prolonged distress.