European Rabbit Population Decline: Welfare and Conservation Implications

The European rabbit has suffered dramatic population declines across its range due to myxomatosis, rabbit haemorrhagic disease, and habitat loss. As a keystone prey species, rabbit decline cascades through entire ecosystems affecting dozens of dependent predators.

Key Facts

European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations have declined by over 70% across the Iberian Peninsula since the 1950s, and significantly across Western Europe.
Myxomatosis, introduced deliberately in France in 1952 to control rabbit populations, spread continent-wide and caused catastrophic mortality — initial case fatality rates exceeded 99%.
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD), first recorded in 1984, is caused by a calicivirus causing internal haemorrhage and sudden death; a new variant (RHDV2) emerged in 2010 with broader host range.
European rabbits are a keystone species in Mediterranean ecosystems; their decline has contributed to the decline of the Iberian lynx and Spanish imperial eagle, both of which depend heavily on rabbit prey.
Some populations have developed partial resistance to myxomatosis over generations; evolutionary co-adaptation is ongoing.
Habitat loss — scrubland clearance, agricultural intensification, and predator reduction — has compounded disease-driven decline.
Vaccination programmes for captive and semi-wild rabbit populations against myxomatosis and RHDV are available and effective.
Rabbit management for conservation purposes often involves creating habitat structure — scrub patches, burrow systems — to support recovering populations.

Welfare Considerations

Myxomatosis and RHD represent two of the most significant sources of mass wildlife suffering documented in Europe. Myxomatosis causes swelling, blindness, and a prolonged death over 10-14 days — affected rabbits experience weeks of escalating suffering before death. RHD causes internal haemorrhage and death within 12-36 hours — briefer but affecting enormous numbers simultaneously. Wild rabbits cannot be vaccinated at population scale, so disease remains the primary driver of ongoing mass mortality events. The welfare case for habitat management — creating refugia that support healthier, less-crowded populations with better disease resistance — intersects with the conservation case. Individual wildlife rehabilitators can vaccinate pet and semi-captive rabbits against both diseases, providing direct welfare protection.

What You Can Do

Vaccinate pet rabbits annually against myxomatosis and RHDV2 — protection is highly effective and directly prevents suffering.
Support habitat management organisations creating rabbit-suitable scrubland and grassland mosaics.
Report myxomatosis cases in wild rabbits to local wildlife recording organisations — population monitoring informs conservation response.
Donate to the Iberian Lynx recovery programme, which depends on rabbit population recovery in Spain and Portugal.
Advocate for evidence-based rabbit management policies that balance conservation with agricultural and garden considerations.