Wild Rabbit Conservation Welfare: RHD, Myxomatosis and Population Collapse

Wild rabbit populations in the UK and Europe have collapsed due to two devastating viral diseases. This affects not just rabbit welfare but the entire ecosystem that depends on rabbits as prey and as grazers.

Key Facts

UK wild rabbit populations have declined by approximately 60% since the 1990s due to myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)
Myxomatosis, introduced to Australia in 1950 and reaching the UK in 1953, causes grotesque swelling and blindness before death over 10-14 days
RHD1 and RHD2 are highly contagious caliciviruses causing acute haemorrhagic disease and rapid death in rabbits
RHD2, detected in the UK from 2013, spread rapidly and affects both adult and juvenile rabbits unlike the original RHD1
Wild rabbits support over 40 predator and scavenger species in the UK, making their population collapse an ecological crisis
Rabbit grazing maintains short-sward habitats critical for ground-nesting birds and many plant species
Vaccination against myxomatosis and RHD is available for domestic and semi-wild rabbits in managed populations
Conservation programs vaccinating wild rabbits in targeted areas have shown promise in supporting population recovery

Welfare Considerations

The welfare situation of wild rabbits with myxomatosis is one of the most distressing in British wildlife. Infected animals suffer progressive blindness, gross facial swelling, and respiratory distress over days to weeks. The visibility of dying rabbits in the countryside makes this suffering unusually apparent - many people encounter the results of myxomatosis directly. Conservation interventions that vaccinate wild rabbits in targeted areas reduce this individual suffering while also supporting ecosystem recovery. The collapse of rabbit populations exemplifies how individual animal welfare and ecosystem function are deeply intertwined - the suffering of individual rabbits is inseparable from the ecological poverty their decline creates.

What You Can Do

Vaccinate domestic and semi-wild rabbits in your care against myxomatosis and both RHD strains
Support conservation organizations working on targeted rabbit vaccination programs
Advocate for research into wildlife-suitable vaccination delivery methods for wild rabbit populations
Report unusually sick wild rabbits to wildlife disease surveillance schemes