Wild rabbit populations in the UK have been devastated by myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease, causing profound welfare impacts on millions of individual animals while also affecting the many species that depend on rabbits as prey.
Myxomatosis in wild rabbits causes prolonged suffering lasting 10-14 days before death, with symptoms including severe swelling around the head and genitals, secondary bacterial infections, and progressive weakness. The deliberate introduction of myxomatosis in 1950s Britain and Australia caused one of the largest single deliberate welfare harms in wildlife management history. RHD2, while causing more rapid death, has caused catastrophic population declines with landscape-scale effects on ecosystems. Vaccinating wild rabbits at scale is not feasible, but protecting captive and garden rabbits from these diseases and supporting population recovery in safe areas represents an available welfare intervention.