The Association, rabbit control and myxomatosis

Authors: Gumbrell RC
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 34, Issue 3, pp 21, Mar 1986
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Rabbit, Wildlife
Subject Terms: Animal welfare, Biosecurity, Legal/regulation, Viral, Pest/pesticides, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Veterinary profession
Article class: General Article

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Abstract: Animal welfare is one of the goals if not the main goal of the veterinary profession. Thus the control of rabbits in New Zealand by the purposeful introduction of myxomatosis, a disease that produces severe lesions that last for eight days or longer in affected rabbits, must be considered by the profession from an animal welfare point of view. Before we can agree with the use of myxomatosis, we need to be sure that the rabbit problem is sufficiently severe and intractable to warrant such an introduction, and that the use of myxomatosis will effectively and continually control the population, bearing in mind that once introduced it will spread throughout the country and will always be present in some degree. This must be balanced by the effect of current methods of control on individual rabbits, on the rabbit population generally, and by the extent of the problem. The Animal Welfare Subcommittee of the New Zealand Veterinary Association took these aspects into consideration as it developed a policy on myxomatosis and presented it to the Council of the Association. Council accepted the recommendation and released the policy in 1983 and again in 1985, at the time of the Agricultural Pest Destruction Council request for the introduction of the European rabbit flea and myxomatosis for rabbit control. The Association is opposed to the introduction of the European rabbit flea and myxomatosis virus to control rabbits because…

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