CONSERVATION NEWS
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The latest national and international news from the conservation world, compiled by Kieran Flood.
IRISH NEWS
CARE FOR OUR HARES You may have seen a number of different headlines concerning hares and rabbits of late. That is because two major factors affecting their health and survival have been announced. Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD2 virus) has been found to be in our wild rabbit and hare populations, and as a result of this, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has taken the step of partially suspending the licences it issues to Irish Coursing Clubs to capture hares in areas affected by the disease. Hares are normally solitary creatures and netting of hares for coursing brings large numbers of hares together, increasing the potential to spread this deadly disease. The Irish Wildlife Trust strongly welcomes the move to suspend the hare capture licences. At the time of writing the netting licences are still suspended in areas know to be affected by the disease but are being issued once more in areas not known to be affected. But what is RHD virus? RHD virus was first reported in farmed rabbits in China where it killed 4 million animals within a year of its discovery. It subsequently spread worldwide including to Europe where a new more virulent strain of this virus (RHD2) emerged in France. It causes death within a few days of infection with sick animals having swollen eyelids, partial paralysis and bleeding from the eyes and mouth. This summer it was confirmed in wild rabbits in Co Clare and Co Wicklow and the first case in a wild hare was confirmed in Co Wexford. It has caused up to 70% mortality rates in brown hare populations in some areas of the UK and it is thought to pose a serious threat to Ireland’s wild hare population. The Irish hare, Lepus timidus hibernicus, is considered a sub-species of the mountain hare and it is a protected species under the Wildlife Act.
Irish hare. Photo: Carl Morrow / Alamy
Can the public do anything? This disease can be spread by direct contact, but also in faeces and urine. Limiting the spread of this virus is extremely important for our hares and rabbits, and we can all do our bit by reporting any signs of this disease to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The NPWS has requested that the public, particularly landowners, farmers, vets and the hare coursing community, be on high alert and report any suspected sightings of diseased rabbits and hares as soon as possible to help efforts to monitor and control the disease. The National Parks and Wildlife Service can be contacted on nature.conservation@chg.gov.ie or at 1890 383 000, or you can contact your local Conservation Ranger. For this article, information on the RHD virus was provided by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Irish Wildlife Autumn ‘19
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