The first cases of rabbit hemorrhagic disease, a viral infection in which rabbits die from massive internal bleeding, are emerging locally.
The first case in California was confirmed in a wild rabbit on May 13 in Palm Springs; San Diego House Rabbit Society now reports the fast-spreading disease has reached San Diego County.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture website says transmission may occur following consumption of contaminated water and food or exposure to rabbit products. Vermin, such as insects or rodents, or domestic animals and birds can also become contaminated with the virus and transfer it to rabbits. Dogs can spread the virus by moving infected rabbit carcasses between premises.
Educational liaison and former Japatul 4H Rabbit Project leader Krista Reed transports rabbits nationwide for 4H and Future Farmers of America participants. She says the concern for members of local 4H groups lies in how quickly the virus will spread from wild to domesticated rabbits if locals do not maintain biosecurity.
“I’ve entirely shut down. I cannot run animals anywhere. People don’t realize how fast this thing can spread: you go for a hike up Iron Mountain and come in contact with the virus, then bring it home with you and you’ve just broken any biosecurity,” Reed said.
According to Reed, the virus lives on surfaces for up to 120 days and it is almost impossible to contain once it is present in an area.
The disease does not pose any risk to humans.
Before campuses closed to slow the COVID-19 outbreak, Reed said, she would liaise with schools so students in agriculture programs could choose the breed of rabbit they wanted to work with, then she would travel across the country or network to obtain that particular breed.
“Before all of this, I would go anywhere in the country to get those animals for them. Being able to do that now with RHD2 is absolutely not possible without spreading or potentially decimating herds. We’re talking thousands of rabbits potentially being wiped out. It cuts off the local 4H families. Now they can’t sell their animals or breed and if they take their animals to another area, they risk bringing it with them,” Reed said.
Although there are three vaccines available, none are commonly found in San Diego County. A representative from Pet Emergency and Specialty Care said she estimates the vaccine will not be available locally for at least two months.
Reed said the vaccine is available in other areas of the United States so she has high hopes it will make its way to San Diego County but says the cost is prohibitive for school children, running an average of $65 per dose.
“4H kids can’t do that for all their rabbits. The real answer is to keep it from spreading, which is very hard to pull off but we’re doing everything we can to protect the kids. They’ve been through enough already this year,” Reed said.
For now, she advises people to change into a spare set of clothing on hikes or walks outside their usual areas, to disinfect their shoes after returning home, and to report anything unusual about wild yard rabbits to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at (916) 358-2790.
“This is going to become an ecosystem nightmare. Beyond our 4H kids and FFA kids, I don’t think people realize how much wild rabbits keep coyotes out of their yard. If those coyotes can’t hunt rabbits, they’re going to go for cats next and so on. This really affects all of us,” Reed said.
