Rabbits have completely disappeared

[nigeleyre]

The rabbits have completely disappeared from my part of the Scottish Borders, Last year they were recovering from the Liver disease.  By Autumn they were gone completely and this year absolutely nothing, not a single rabbit anywhere on the farm.  Has something evil been put down for them again?  Anyone else found this?

[marsh man]

No , Thankfully this is not the case here in this part of East Anglia , Rabbits are still about in good numbers and although some are causing problems the countryside would be a poorer place without any .

[billytheghillie]

21 minutes ago, nigeleyre said:

The rabbits have completely disappeared from my part of the Scottish Borders, Last year they were recovering from the Liver disease.  By Autumn they were gone completely and this year absolutely nothing, not a single rabbit anywhere on the farm.  Has something evil been put down for them again?  Anyone else found this?

I am just outside Kelso and in the past 3 or 4 years there has been a steady decline of them.

[bornfree]

Very rare to see a rabbit here in the brecklands. But hare's are in great numbers 

[Dave at kelton]

Increasing here around Dumfries from what I am seeing

[samboy]

Not many where i am but plenty of foxes.

[Dekers]

Generally lower in my areas over the last 2-3 years.  Just found mixxy again on one site as well!

[old'un]

this last five years they have been up and down, they start to show signs of recovery then bang you either get an outbreak of mixy or worse still VHD/RHD.

VHD was first seen in China 1984, its now worldwide.

[Gas seal]

Yes vhd has been around for a long time. At first it killed adult rabbits the latest virus kills the Young as well. Hundreds of rabbits have disappeared from farms in a week and I’ve only ever seen a few dead ones. The more rabbits in the area the virus kills more of them them in no time. A few rabbits are about in parts of Cheshire, more are returning now north of the Mersey. Most of the rabbits die underground, their must be a lot of them, maybe when ( new) rabbits use old warrens they disturb the dead rabbits and the virus and it starts again. 

[39TDS]

I seem to have an isolated pocket of rabbits on my land. Plenty of them here but don't see them much anywhere else, not even roadkill.

[chrisp]

Still plenty rabbits in my part of the borders (duns) not in the numbers they used to be 

 

An abundance of hares though

[Gas seal]

Yes crow and magpies would feed on rabbits killed on the roads . The food supply would have stopped overnight for them. The environment around rabbit Warrens has changed for any wildlife using it. Some  warrens and hedgerows show no sign of rabbits ever been there. I’ve seen myxomatosis come and go over the years and rabbits have always recovered. Vhd can be carried by dogs or people from infected areas. It would be good if it could be reordered when and were the rabbits (disappear) . 

[rimfire4969]

Last year there were low numbers around here, I did not bother to lamp them very much as I did not want to get rid everything. It seems to of made a difference as they are back in numbers this year.

[gmm243]

We used to have loads of rabbits here but I couldn't tell you when I last shot one.I could count 25 in the small field beside the house any morning while having breakfast, now there are none there.All the local farms were full of rabbits and the farmers complained about them all the time. I have been on these farms a lot shooting geese and woodcock during the season plus cutting firewood from fallen trees in spring and recently picking elderflower. I also have bee hives there so I am on these farms a lot and I can honestly say in the last 4 years I have not seen a rabbit on any of them where as before we would have shot 100's on each every year.