Wildlife

Wild Rabbit Myxomatosis and RVHD Welfare

Wild rabbit populations face devastating mortality from myxomatosis and rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease.

Key Facts

Myxomatosis was introduced to the UK in 1953 and killed over 99% of rabbits within two years
The virus causes swelling of the eyes, nose and genitals leading to blindness and slow death
RVHD2 emerged in France in 2010 and spread to the UK, killing rabbits within 24-72 hours
RVHD2 spreads easily through contact, contaminated materials and insects
Wild rabbits cannot be vaccinated at population scale, making population-level welfare management impossible

Welfare Considerations

Myxomatosis causes prolonged suffering over 10-14 days before death in affected rabbits. RVHD2 causes faster but still painful death. Individual rabbits found suffering from myxomatosis are candidates for humane despatch by trained individuals. Disease management at population scale is not currently feasible in wild rabbits.

What You Can Do

Report myxomatosis-affected rabbits to RSPCA or local wildlife rehabilitators for humane assessment
Vaccinate pet rabbits against both myxomatosis and RVHD1 and RVHD2 annually
Never release domestic rabbits into the wild where they can spread disease
Support wildlife disease monitoring through the Garden Wildlife Health project