In 1950, following research conducted by Frank Fenner, myxoma virus was deliberately released into the rabbit population, causing it to drop from an estimated 600 million to around 100 million. Growing genetic resistance in the remaining rabbits had allowed the population to recover to 200–300 million by 1991.

Rabbits are not native to Britain; the Normans brought them here in the 12th century for their, then much-prized, fur and meat. Today, rabbits are among our commonest and most widespread mammals. They live in a system of burrows called a warren.

Origin. The European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is native to north-western Africa, Spain and Portugal and it is now found in the USA, Chile and most of Western Europe as far north as Scandinavia.

A study, Where Have All the Rabbits Gone?, found that there could be as little as only £1m wild rabbits left in Scotland as a result of the latest form of haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV). Experts suspect there are less than £4m wild rabbits in the whole of the UK due to the latest highly contagious RHDV strain.

This high population often means that the predator population is low, and sure enough, coyotes and foxes have been victim to mange over the last couple years. Not all coyotes and foxes, but a lot of them, thus leaving the survivors and great horned owls to keep the lid on the rabbit population.

Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 2 (RVHD2) is a highly infectious and potentially fatal virus strain, which is currently sweeping the UK. Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 2 (RVHD2) is a highly infectious and potentially fatal virus strain, which is currently sweeping the UK.

RVHD2 (rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease) is a highly contagious disease which causes internal bleeding. It shows few or no symptoms and can kill rabbits quickly.

A new deadly virus, rabbit hemorrhagic disease, is killing thousands of wild rabbits in the US. A deadly virus is spreading across the southwestern United States and killing wild rabbits on this continent for the first time, wildlife officials say.

They could carry a deadly disease called Tularemia or “Rabbit fever”. “This year there are a lot of rabbits, and it could be that there is a rise or an uptick in that as well,” Dr. Greg Hurst of the White Oaks Went Animal Hospital said.

Wild baby rabbits don’t do well in captivity. Not only do their natural survival instincts prevent them from being a suitable pet, but they spread dangerous diseases. Most bunnies become stressed and depressed living in small hutches and cages. Keeping wild rabbits is illegal in many areas.

Rabbits act as highly efficient natural composters; just like backyard chickens. So if your customers are big vegetable gardeners, their backyard bunnies will help compost waste, providing excellent soil amendments or mulch. Plus, they’ll generate a steady supply of valuable manure fertilizer for the vegetable garden.

During the summer, rabbits are more likely to be rummaging through the gardens that you have painstakingly created. The hotter weather means that food is scarcer in the wild. With food being harder to forage for outside of your garden, rabbits are going to go wherever they know food is going to be and that’s a garden.

Your grass should be lush in the spring. Rabbit droppings are excellent fertilizer!

You just need to sprinkle human or pet hair, cat litter or a dried blood meal, sulfured eggs and garlic in a defensive circle around your grass, flower bed, garden vegetables, and shrubs. Such repellents are completely safe for your cat or dog. Rabbits also do not like the smell of onions so you can use that too.

Depending how crumbly they are, you could just squish them under your feet and then water them in. 🙂 for odd droppings I just leave them to fertilize the lawn. I scoop up any patches of droppings with a trowel and put them in a bag in the bin ( though I used to put them in the compost bin).