Myxi related - Not a "happy" thread

[senatorvass]

I just wanted to ask you all about myxi. I have only heard of it since I have had rabbits (a year) and I gather it was somehow man made? Could someone please explain to me why this was done? What exactly is it?

I saw (a while ago) on another (non rabbit) forum, someone found a wildie sick with myxi and didnt know what to do with it. I was the first person who posted and said, the kindest thing would be PTS. A whole slew of people came on after me saying "just take a brick to its head" and I argued a long time that that was barbaric. And pointed out that (setting aside the cruel aspect of it) most people wouldnt be able to do it efficiently anyway, so would just make the poor thing suffer more, and that it was irresponsible and cruel to promote that sort of animal welfare. My point was made and the person who found the rabbit listened and had it PTS.

I get my rabbits vaccinated of course, but this was the first I learned that it wasnt a totally natural disease, that is why I am posting, I want it explained really.

Not grown up under a rock or anything but not grown up in England and in America didnt know much about rabbits anyway so wouldnt know how it applied there. Thanks for explaining. Sorry if I upset anyone about the story related above, I hope the subject line was enough to put you off if you are feeling sensitive (as I normally am, thats why I have waited so long to ask)

[Happy Hoppers]

This is from our forum Myxi article which can be found in articles & references:

Myxomatosis was first seen in the rabbit population in Uruguay in 1896. It is caused by the Myxoma Virus and was deliberately introduced to wild rabbits in Australia, as a form of pest control, around 1926. Australia's rabbit population had been pretty much destroyed by the virus by 1953 during which time the virus was also illegally introduced to France. This gave the virus the opportunity to be spread intentionally across Europe and North & South America. At this time governments had not decided whether or not to make the disease readily available to farmers as a form of biological control, however a french farmer took it upon himself to import the virus to control rabbits on his land. The ferocity of the virus was apparent as it spread rapidly across Europe within a year. It reached the UK in 1953, the same time the Australian rabbit population was nearing extinction.

Once in the UK, farmers deliberately spread the disease by placing infected rabbits into local wild rabbit burrows however many people were disgusted by the suffering they were witnessing and at one point the RSPCA was regularly heading out specifically to find and humanely euthanise myxi rabbits. Despite this the British government refused to place any legislation on the deliberate spread of the virus leaving 95% of the British wild rabbit population dead by 1955. It was in 1954 that the UK government finally made it illegal to place infected rabbits into new colonies, but by then the damage was done.

[foxyfaerie]

Myxi is natural, it's VHD that was made by man.

As Sooz has quoted, both myxi & VHD have been used to try and control wild rabbit populations.

[racheld69]

if you take wild myxi rabbits to a vets they will put them to sleep for free.

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