Alberta is struggling with a virus that is killing both wild and domesticated rabbits

Alberta is looking for dead rabbits. The province has seen multiple cases of a deadly strain of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus known as RHDV2.

The virus has killed numerous rabbits in the last year, including five pet rabbits in Taber in May 2021, three kittens from a group of feral pet rabbits — meaning they were either released pets or descendants of pets — in northwest Edmonton in the September 2021 and three colonies of feral domestic rabbits in Calgary between late August and early September 2022.

Previously, RHDV was only found in feral domestic rabbits in Alberta, but recent deaths included a feral mountain rabbit. The difference between feral and wild rabbits is that wild rabbits are native to the environment while wild rabbits are stock once domesticated or imported from other countries. Wild rabbits were thought to be immune to RHDV, but the RHDV2 strain infects wild populations. This was the first wild rabbit found dead from the virus in the province, Alberta’s Department of Environment and Parks said in a report. The Department wants to prevent the virus from establishing itself in Alberta’s wild rabbit populations.

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Researchers first diagnosed RHDV in China in 1984. Since then, the virus has spread to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba and some parts of Asia and Africa, the ministry said in an email.

In 2010, researchers diagnosed RHDV2, a new strain among European rabbit species, in France. RHDV2 has since been released in North America. Feral native populations of European rabbits were killed by the virus in Quebec in 2016, British Columbia in 2018 and Washington state in 2019.

RHDV2 has a mortality rate of 70 to 100 percent. Once a rabbit is exposed, it can become ill within one to five days, and the virus will quickly rip through the rest of its colony. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the virus is transmitted between rabbits through direct contact with infected saliva, runny nose and eyes, urine, manure, blood, and infected fur or carcasses.

Common symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, moaning, blood spots in the eyes, foaming and bloody nose, and neurological symptoms such as difficulty walking, seizures, or paralysis.

Aside from the wild mountain rabbit tail found dead in September, experts have not found the virus in any other wild rabbit in Alberta. But that doesn’t mean it won’t spread. Since the spring of 2020, there have been multiple outbreaks of their wild rabbit populations in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

Arizona was the first US state where the virus was transmitted from feral domestic rabbits to wild rabbits. In April 2020, a feral black-tailed rabbit and several feral cottontails were found dead.

“The virus has spread from captive and pet rabbits to neighboring wild populations of domestic rabbits as well as native wild rabbits and hares,” the ministry said. “The social nature and natural high density in rabbit and hare populations facilitate virus transmission. All forms of rabbit hemorrhagic disease are highly contagious, with high mortality rates in susceptible species and populations.”

Environment and Parks Wildlife Disease Unit monitors wild hares, hares and cottontails near outbreaks for signs of the virus. All members of the public are also asked to report sightings of groups of dead rabbits.

The ministry emphasizes that outside of rabbits and hares, RHDV2 is not contagious in humans, pets, livestock or any other animal species. But humans help transmit the disease. Purchasing pet rabbits from questionable sources, failing to properly care for rabbits and their enclosures, and releasing pet rabbits into the wild can spread the virus.

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To prevent further infection, the ministry suggests washing hands, clothing, cages and equipment between contacts with rabbits from different sources, only accepting rabbits from reputable sources, quarantining new rabbits from existing ones for 30 days and separate ones for new ones equipment to use or prevent sick rabbits and any contact with wild rabbits, hares and hares.

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