Topic: Dying Rabbit

[wardy]

Found a dying rabbit on my plot this morning.  It obviously had mixamatosis  :(
The poor thing's eyes were a complete mess.  What a horrid way to die.  I couldn't kill it as I didn't know how to do it properly.  My husband had to despatch it but that wasn't til this evening so the poor thing had been suffering for ages.

I know rabbits might eat our veg but at least we can put up a fence.  My terrier will kill rabbits instantly - far better than a lingering death.  A chap near me operates a pest control business using ferrets and dogs rather than poisons to control rats and vermin.  Anyway isn't introducing mixy illegal these days?

I shall report it tomorrow as this is the second one I've found in a few weeks  :(

[teresa]

mixamatosis seems to come back every few years and wipes out a large amount of rabbits. It spreads very quickly just make sure your pet rabbits are injectied against it.
Not a nice way for an animal to die being blinded and must be painfull even if they do eat some produce I dont think one gardener would wish that on them.
Teresa

[Robert_Brenchley]

If you find one just whack it on the head with something solid, don't worry about science. It ends up just as dead. If there are lots of rabbits the predators have an easy life, if they die out they have to work harder, living off small mammals and invertebrates. There was a time when buzzards were known as 'rabbit hawks' since they were it's main diet.

[Orfy]

Nature as a way of balancing things as long as we don't mess it up.

[redimp]

Nature as a way of balancing things as long as we don't mess it up.

Introducing mixi in the first place messed it up - now the mess up has to be undone.  The sooner those that matter realise that balance is just that - balance the better.  Once we stop trying to tamper with nature we might actually have a future.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Myxy was introduced because we'd already upset the balance by killing off the rabbit's natural predators, leading to a vast increase of population.

[redimp]

Intervening because an intervention has gone wrong does not work.  It compounds the problems.  The only solution is to stop intervening in the first place.  It is definitely a case of two wrongs do not make a right.  It has always confused me why farmers et al cull the predators and then they have to cull the prey - yet they fail to see the cause and effect and just carry on lookin for more extreme 'solutions'.

[RobinOfTheHood]

Intervening because an intervention has gone wrong does not work.  It compounds the problems.  The only solution is to stop intervening in the first place.  It is definitely a case of two wrongs do not make a right.  It has always confused me why farmers et al cull the predators and then they have to cull the prey - yet they fail to see the cause and effect and just carry on lookin for more extreme 'solutions'.

Seems to be the way of the world nowadays, unfortunately.   :(

[Merlins Mum]

It would appear that you and I redclanger are like minded people. 
When oh when will we humans learn.  We share this earth with other living creatures who have just as much right to be here as we do.  What makes us think it's fine for us to treat so many of them so appallingly.  :'(
MM

[kitty]

myxamatosis
baby rabbit-eyes full of pus
is the work of scientific us.
spike.



we'll never learn until its too late-human beings are the only animal that blushes..or needs to.
kitty :(

[Merlins Mum]

we'll never learn until its too late.

I think you're right kitty and it sickens me.  :'(
MM

[Merlins Mum]

Wardy, I didn't mean to imply that, and I apologise if that is how it came across.  But I still think that the majority of people really don't care about the suffering of anything except themselves and other human beings.  I won't say anymore in fear of upsetting anyone, but it is something I feel quite passionate about.

MM

[kitty]

i think we are all of a like mind here-if nature takes its course..foxes-terriers etc-although noone likes to think of the por ickul rabbit..then its a different matter to deliberate human scientific 'intervention' somehow-i'd be mad as hell if a bun ate my stuff-but never mad enough to get a testtube full of chemicals ...

i dunno-theres a world of difference between 'natural'  death and human interference..

i think youre oh was brave to do that wardy-its a shame he was forced into the situation by unthinking humans......