Minister suspends hare coursing licences after deadly rabbit disease discovered in the wild

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Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) was first reported in farmed animals in China in 1984 and wiped out millions of the species within a year of being discovered.

Experts fear the wild Irish hare could be under threat from the virus. Image: Shutterstock/Vlad Sokolovsky Experts fear the wild Irish hare could be under threat from the virus. Image: Shutterstock/Vlad Sokolovsky A DISEASE WHICH is fatal to hares and rabbits has been discovered for the first time in the wild in Ireland prompting Culture Minister Josepha Madigan to suspend coursing club licences.

Animals who contract the disease display symptoms including swollen eyelids, partial paralysis and bleeding from the eyes and mouth, as well as spasms before dying within days. “While there is no threat to human health, experts advise that this disease is highly contagious among rabbits and hares, and I am acting on this advice,” she added.

Dr Ferdia Marnell of the NPWS Wildlife Unit said the virus poses no risk to humans but it is severely contagious and even uninfected animals can be carriers of it.

 

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Coursing licences suspended after rabbit disease foundIrish Coursing Club licences have been suspended with immediate effect due to confirmed cases of Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) found in the wild.
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