🚀 go-pugleaf

The Wildlife Trusts in the UK are extremely concerned at the possible 
effects of VHD on the rabbit population.

As in Australia, the rabbit is an introduced species, but with a 1000yr 
plus history it has 'settled down'.  It is a valuable grazing species on 
many semi-natural grasslands where sheep grazing is no longer 
economically viable, and also provides a wonderful source of food for 
many predators.

Any comments or experiences regarding the issues below would be much 
appreciated.

The main points are as follows: 
� In Australia and NZ the disease has had a catastrophic effect. In the 
UK there have been numerous outbreaks. However in the UK there may be 
some natural immunity in populations especially those in the north.
� The general message was that over the coming year or so we may see 50% 
of rabbits in the UK die.
� MAFF (MInistry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries) want to remove the 
disease from the notifiable disease list. If this happens they will have 
no responsibility for it. Therefore nobody will be monitoring its spread 
or the implications on the countryside. � 
In Aus 80% of rabbits die underground. The questions we need to pose are:
� what will be the impact of losing 50% of rabbits in the UK
� impacts on raptors (buzzard and re-introduced kite)
� impact on mammal predators (polecats, stoats, weasels)
� impact on grazing important wildlife sites (chalk grassland) cf post 
myxi problems  (we lost many good grassland sites to scrub following the 
first waves of myxamatosis)
� who is carrying out research into the problem
� who will monitor the spread
Nobody seems to know anything about the disease and if MAFF remove it 
from its list the most likely organisation to do something about it will 
have washed its hands. ie cost cutting.

Many thanks, (especially for Prisoner Cell Block H),

Neil W.

The Urban Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country
              West Midlands Wildlife Campaign