Wildlife

Wild Rabbit Welfare and Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a devastating disease of wild rabbits that causes prolonged suffering — humane culling of affected animals remains a contested welfare question.

Key Facts

Myxomatosis causes blindness, swelling, and death over 10-14 days in susceptible populations
The disease was deliberately introduced to control rabbit populations in Australia and Europe
Some European rabbit populations have evolved partial resistance
Vaccination is available for domestic rabbits but not practical for wild populations

Welfare Considerations

Wild rabbits with myxomatosis experience a prolonged, distressing death. Veterinary guidance recommends humane killing of severely affected individuals found in advanced disease stages. The ethics of leaving animals to die natural but painful deaths versus human intervention is a genuine welfare dilemma in wildlife management.

What You Can Do

Vaccinate pet rabbits against myxomatosis annually
Report severely affected wild rabbits to local wildlife authorities
Support research into humane population management alternatives
Advocate for consideration of animal suffering in wildlife disease management policies