Deadly Disease found in Irish hares and rabbits

Anyone come across any infected rabbits or hares? I’ve noticed in my own area that the rabbits were very plentiful up to about a month ago and now are rarely seen. I’ve never seen hares around here but there are lots of foxes.
Or is it just a cunning plan to end Coursing?
https://www.chg.gov.ie/deadly-disease-found-in-irish-hares-and-rabbits-public-asked-to-report-any-sightings-irish-coursing-club-licences-suspended-with-immediate-effect/

patsy_mccabe

First I've heard of it. All the main newspapers are running with it, so it must be true.

https://rabbit.org/vhd/

Say my name

The reporting and noticing of the disease is a year too late imo.
Damage was done last year. Rats also had a disease last year. I wonder were they linked?

There's a few rabbits starting to come back again lately. Fresh litters from the survivors.

Danzy

Loads of young rabbits here, rat population still on the floor after whatever killed them.

endainoz

The main gripe with lads around me locally is that there will be no coursing this year and that it quite possibly could be the end of it for good. I suppose the whole thing is stigmatised now with a lot of animal rights people against it.

endainoz

endainoz wrote: »

The main gripe with lads around me locally is that there will be no coursing this year and that it quite possibly could be the end of it for good. I suppose the whole thing is stigmatised now with a lot of animal rights people against it.

I think that the coursing fraternity should be used to help eradicate this disease. They have the skills to net and vaccinate the hares and these skills should be used immediately.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Deleted User wrote: »

I think that the coursing fraternity should be used to help eradicate this disease. They have the skills to net and vaccinate the hares and these skills should be used immediately.

Is there a vaccine available for this?

Dakota Dan

Have they blamed climate change yet?

Buford T. Justice VI

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

Is there a vaccine available for this?

I believe that there is but is only effective in healthy animals.

endainoz

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I think that the coursing fraternity should be used to help eradicate this disease. They have the skills to net and vaccinate the hares and these skills should be used immediately.

Yeah I thought if they trapped them they could take infectious ones away from the non infectious ones but I suppose department wouldn't trust them with that so they'll end up paying some other crowd way over the odds to deal with it I imagine. I have nothing to do with coursing myself but I do know that they are watched very closely by wildlife rangers and they tag hates as they catch them so the don't get caught two years in a row etc.

Damien360

How is the vaccine administered ? If it’s catch and release then it’s for pets only and not wild animals.

Plenty of rabbits still on curragh but haven’t seen too many hares in a while.

endainoz

endainoz wrote: »

Yeah I thought if they trapped them they could take infectious ones away from the non infectious ones but I suppose department wouldn't trust them with that so they'll end up paying some other crowd way over the odds to deal with it I imagine. I have nothing to do with coursing myself but I do know that they are watched very closely by wildlife rangers and they tag hates as they catch them so the don't get caught two years in a row etc.

They would have to vaccinate and release them immediately as the virus is so contagious. The infected ones wouldn’t show signs until near the end. The incubation period seems to be days rather than weeks.
It’s a really serious problem for the Irish hare as they’re not found anywhere else in the world.

caff

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Have they blamed climate change yet?

Nope but just wait till they pin it on 5g

PoorFarmer

Deleted User wrote:

They would have to vaccinate and release them immediately as the virus is so contagious. The infected ones wouldn’t show signs until near the end. The incubation period seems to be days rather than weeks. It’s a really serious problem for the Irish hare as they’re not found anywhere else in the world.

The way I've read it the nets or cages that any hares are held in are capable of transmitting the disease to the healthy population which is the major problem with vaccination.
No problem with the rabbit population around here ATM, have a couple of silage fields with bald patches when I cut them from the rabbits keeping them down.
Any hare populations on the offshore/lake/river islands I would imagine will be safe enough from any risk?

endainoz

PoorFarmer wrote: »

The way I've read it the nets or cages that any hares are held in are capable of transmitting the disease to the healthy population which is the major problem with vaccination.
No problem with the rabbit population around here ATM, have a couple of silage fields with bald patches when I cut them from the rabbits keeping them down.
Any hare populations on the offshore/lake/river islands I would imagine will be safe enough from any risk?

Well that's the problem isn't it? It'll be probably be too late before people realize it. Wildlife experts are taking it very seriously so I think we should too.

_Brian

Between this and the apparent explosion of birds of prey it will decimate populations.

Loads of rabbits here until what I think are buzzards moved in and now nothing at all.

Phesents have all gone now too.

Base price

_Brian wrote: »

Between this and the apparent explosion of birds of prey it will decimate populations.

Loads of rabbits here until what I think are buzzards moved in and now nothing at all.

Phesents have all gone now too.

We had plenty of rabbits in the fields but they disappeared late Summer of 2017. The reason I noticed them gone was when coming home after dark the headlights of the lorry shines into the fields as I turn into and drive down our lane and you can see them. At the time I was talking to a local man who would be very knowledgeable about wildlife/hunting and he also remarked their sudden disappearance. He said it wasn't due to myxi as there were no numbers of sick rabbits/bodies to be found. He also reckoned that the buzzards had little impact on rabbit population as they hunt during the day and rabbits mostly come out at dusk and into the night.

I noticed the first rabbit back in the fields near the end of May but I haven't seen many since.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=110312653&postcount=1789

patsy_mccabe

Only moving cattle this morning and rose a hare. Cattle were in a U shape with me standing at the opening. The poor devil had nowhere to go. He stood there for a while looking at me and then passed me only a few feet away. He seemed healthy to me.

Base price

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Only moving cattle this morning and rose a hare. Cattle were in a U shape with me standing at the opening. The poor devil had nowhere to go. He stood there for a while looking at me and then passed me only a few feet away. He seemed healthy to me.

I posted a link in the old chit chat thread in response to the Sheriff's post about RHD in rabbits and hares but I will post it again here.

Biodiversity Ireland have been running a national hare survey in conjunction with NPWS and Queen's University Belfast since last September. They are asking people to record sightings of hares and to send any dead ones - http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/record-biodiversity/surveys/national-hare-survey/

patsy_mccabe

Our area is full of hares. I'd be on that survey every day.

Just recorded a sighting there on it. Thanks, BP.

bogman_bass

_Brian wrote: »

Between this and the apparent explosion of birds of prey it will decimate populations.

Loads of rabbits here until what I think are buzzards moved in and now nothing at all.

Phesents have all gone now too.

It only seems like an explosion because numbers were so low.

kollegeknight

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I believe that there is but is only effective in healthy animals.

I’m not pro coursing and I have never been to a meet but locally, they catch dose, course and release. Wouldn’t that be a way of trying to vaccinate the wild hares?

MfMan

Is it a fact with hares that even when they're caught and released again that they never recover from the shock of it? Post-traumatic stress or something?

Sir Guy who smiles

_Brian wrote: »

the apparent explosion of birds of prey it will .....

I haven't heard of this, do you have a link to a good story about it?

Sir Guy who smiles

Deleted User wrote: »

They would have to vaccinate and release them immediately as the virus is so contagious. The infected ones wouldn’t show signs until near the end. The incubation period seems to be days rather than weeks.
It’s a really serious problem for the Irish hare as they’re not found anywhere else in the world.

Yeah the big panic is over the hares, the rabbits are not endangered as a population.