We’ve had a plague of feral rabbits for years on Whidbey Island. Years ago domestic rabbits were let loose by a 4-H club at the nearby county fairgrounds and interbred with local rabbits. Many thought they were cute and fed them, but they wrought havoc in gardens and were relentless hole diggers, not to mention depositors of countless pellets. Then, suddenly, they were completely gone. The hemorrhagic rabbit plague from BC finally made it to the southern end of the island three weeks ago and led to a rapid rabbit die-off. Gardens are blossoming again, but I suspect the coyotes and owls are searching for new sources of protein!
‘Spreading like wildfire’: Rabbit disease decimating bunny population on Whidbey Island – KIRO 7 News Seattle
WWW.KIRO7.COM
The virus is called rabbit hemorrhagic disease, or RHDV2. It’s highly contagious and fatal for rabbits.