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January 2011

TH E • Myxo in Melbourne

B U N OL OGIST •

Myxo campaign
Rabbit Runaway closure
Five bantam bunnies
Your FREE monthly rabbit newsletter •
brought to you by BOING • 2011 Year of the Rabbit
To join, visit www.scribd.com/bunologist • Caution: pet rabbit craze
or www.boingonline.com • Life at the Do Hop Inn

Dr Horwood advises owners to keep their bunnies indoors,


Mosquito born epidemic if possible, especially at dawn and sunset. Outside, a
mosquito net over the rabbit hutch and run can make a
9 January 2011 – The Age Newspaper (Australia)
difference.
MELBOURNE'S
Vaccines for myxomatosis exist in Britain and elsewhere,
pet rabbits are
but are banned in Australia. The fear is that a ''live''
under threat from
vaccine, which inoculates the rabbit with a weak strain of
a sudden
the disease, could be accidentally released among the wild
outbreak of
population, thus neutering the disease as a weapon.
myxomatosis that
is striking
Dr Peter Kerr at the CSIRO estimates that 90 per cent of
hutches across
adult rabbits are infected with myxomatosis but show no
the city.
symptoms. ''It's nothing like 1950, when nearly 100 per cent
of affected rabbits died, but it probably still kills 40 to 50 per
cent of those infected,'' he says.
Vets who have not seen a case in 10 years are seeing sick
rabbits, or getting calls from clients reporting deaths, every
day. There is nothing to do but put them down.
Myxo Campaign
The ''white blindness'', as Richard Adams called the
disease in the book Watership Down, has no cure. ''I've Please join Radical Rabbit’s
seen three this week,'' says Dr Caitlin Horwood at the campaign to demand the myxo
Maribyrnong Vets' Clinic in Footscray. ''It really is an vaccine. We want you to help us
epidemic; I've seen more in a month than I've seen in 15 mail one million toy bunnies to the
years.'' Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries
rd
& Forestry to arrive by the 3
She and her colleague, Dr Adrian Choi, blame the increase February 2011 (continuing
in the mosquito population, noticeable to anyone who finds throughout the year) to help our
himself out at dusk, thanks to warm weather and bouts of pet bunnies.
rain. ''When it's hot and wet, the mozzies come out and
infect the rabbits and then rabbits infect each other.'' Please visit Radical Rabbit’s website, sign our online
petition or print out our hard copy and ask your friends
At the Melbourne Rabbit Clinic in leafy, burrow-friendly & family to sign. There are some common questions &
Ferntree Gully, Dr Narelle Walter says she is taking 15 to answers about myxo to help you.
20 calls a day from worried pet owners. ''We usually see
some myxomatosis in October to May but, with the Too many bunnies have died this year from this
increased rain, it has spread a lot more. There were hot preventable, introduced disease.
spots a couple of years ago, on the peninsula for example,
but this year … it's everywhere.''
www.radicalrabbit.org
Myxomatosis was introduced to Australia in 1950, in an
attempt to eradicate the rabbits that were at plague Rabbit Farm goes bust
proportions. Estimates on numbers vary, but there were 7 Oct 2010 - http://sunshine-coast.finda.com.au/ (Aust)
between 600 million and 1 billion rabbits in the wild.
The NSW Border Range Rabbit Farm has financially
In Victoria, rabbits are our third favourite pet after cats and collapsed due to “disease problems” on the farm (myxo we
dogs. Increasingly, Dr Walter says, they are kept by adults suspect).
rather than children, hopping about indoors while their
owners are at work. A Sunshine Coast businessman who established the rabbit
farm has also been accused of losing millions of dollars
Dr Horwood suspects that people dote on their bunnies from investors.
more than they used to, which means more people are
reporting their deaths or taking them to the vet when they're (many rabbit farms in Australia would have been hard hit by
ill than they would have bothered to do 10 years ago, when myxo this year. Sadly so many innocent bunnies died but
the disease flourished. But there is a spike in cases. at least they will not suffer at this farm any longer – BOING)
''We're spending millions poisoning rabbits because of the
Fur flies over fate of damage they do in Australia.''

rabbit refuge Dr Inglis says that after Cr Cliff inspected their refuge, he
commented that one of their rabbits would ''make a good
3 January 2011 – The Age Newspaper (Australia)
stew''. Cr Cliff denies that he said this.

The council considered the objections of nine residents,


who cited the road's poor condition, increased waste and
runoff, odour, and fears the rabbits would escape and turn
feral.

Suspicions were also raised that the couple were secretly


operating a business, with reference made to a ''bunny
dating'' service listed on the orphanage website. The
Inglises deny they are running a business, or that any of
their rabbits have escaped.

Neighbour Barbara Setchell has led the residents' push to


In the soft and fluffy corner are Judi and Bryce Inglis, a close the rabbit refuge. Ms Setchell is a member of the
kindly couple who have set up a pet rabbit refuge in the Olinda Creek Landcare Group, but insists the road is the
garage of their home in Stanley Street, Olinda. sole reason for her opposition. In her submission to
On the other side are several neighbours and local council, she attached several photographs of parked cars
councillors who think the Inglises are harbouring potential blocking the street. ''It appears applicants [Judi and Bryce
feral nuisances. Inglis] are totally oblivious to the impact they have had on
their neighbours and they have offered no apologies,'' she
The simmering dispute is now headed for the Victorian Civil wrote.
and Administrative Tribunal after complaints that the refuge
has brought too much extra traffic to the narrow, unpaved But some neighbours support the Inglises. Inga Phillips
street, described as a ''goat track'' by one resident, and an said the couple ''are and always have been, very good
argument over whether such a refuge is appropriate in a peaceful neighbours'' and the neighbours' complaints were
landscape scarred by rabbits. ''malicious''.

Judi and Bryce Inglis have been operating their Rabbit The Inglises accuse the council of bungling the permit
Run-Away Orphanage for the past 18 months. The devoted application process, and are preparing their case for VCAT.
animal lovers take in unwanted pet rabbits and attempt to Dr Judi Inglis said she regretted informing the council of
find them new homes. their plans. ''When we came here we were quite open
about what we wanted to do. That was our mistake.''
But Yarra Ranges Council ruled last month that their
shelter must close, permitting them to keep no more than
two pet rabbits on their property. Five bantam bunnies
21 January 2011 – The Dominion Post (New Zealand)
The couple, who have 16 rabbits in their care, six of which
are pets, fear they will be forced to send the animals to A clucky hen at a wildlife
other shelters, where they are likely to be destroyed. park near Upper Hutt has
taken an unlikely brood
The Inglises say their neighbours have fed the council under her wing – five baby
misinformation. bunnies.
''The neighbours have had this vendetta going for 18 The silkie bantam is the talk
months,'' Dr Judi Inglis said. of the Staglands Wildlife
Reserve since the helpless
''They consider the rabbits to be feral pests. They don't and hairless rabbits were
consider them to be domestic house pets. The picture they found in her nest this week.
painted of us is so far from the truth it's not funny.''
A young mother, at just eight
Shire councillor Noel Cliff, who voted to reject the Inglises' months old, the hen was very
permit application, said the couple's cause was noble, but protective of her new family,
misplaced. Staglands wildlife assistant Jayson Davis said.
''It's been a really sad saga - nice people, really big hearts, "She has definitely bonded with them. She'll fluff right up
wrong place,'' Cr Cliff said. and try to peck anyone who gets too close."
''Olinda Creek Landcare Group is battling rabbits. We've The two mums have worked out a shared-custody
now got black rabbits running around in the forest which arrangement: Mother Rabbit has continued to feed her
have escaped; they were domestic once. young, and seems happy to let Mother Hen do the child-
minding.
The Year of the Rabbit!!! Animal activists caution
against pet rabbit craze
9 January 2011 – Taipei Times
Animal rights activists
called for people to
respect animal rights and
not abandon pets,
especially rabbits, ahead
of an expected increase
in demand for the animals
in the upcoming Year of
the Rabbit.

Rabbits are expected to be the latest pet craze as this year


is the Year of the Rabbit on the lunar calendar. Bunny sales
The history of the Chinese zodiac says that Buddha invited at pet shops are expected to jump, and animal shelters are
all of the animals in the world to join him for the New Year worried about a wave of abandoned pets as a
celebrations, but only 12 animals bothered to turn up. As a consequence.
great reward, Buddha named a year after each one of them
and they actually run in the order that the animals arrived to “A lot of people buy rabbits because they assume they are
celebrate with Buddha, starting with the rat and ending with small and easy to raise and some parents chose rabbits as
the last guest, the pig. pets for their kids under this impression. We’ve seen many
abandoned rabbits around schools and neighborhood parks
and we could find more abandoned rabbits this year,” said
The Chinese believe that those born during a year of a
particular animal would inherit some of the good and bad Liao Shue-ping ( 廖廖廖 ) of the Taiwan Homeless Bunny
personality traits of that animal. Protection Association.

Also, each Chinese year is influenced by whatever animal it “We are concerned about more people buying rabbits for
falls in. The Year of The Rabbit begins on February 3rd good luck on impulse this year in the Year of the Rabbit
2011. Most Rabbit years are quiet, positive and inspiring and later abandoning them,” she said.
and 2011 looks to be heading in this direction – a
refreshing change after the fast-moving and quite dramatic
Year of the Tiger. Deadly start to Year of
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit the Rabbit
21 January 2011 – CNN
Melbourne
Box Hill celebrations Dead rabbits are showing up in Chinese mail boxes as pets
29 January 3 pm to Sun 30 January 3am ordered for the Year of the Rabbit aren’t surviving the
Corner of Station St and Whitehorse Rd Box Hill shipping process, the Shanghai Daily reports.

Sunday 6 February The Year of the Rabbit commences on February 3 under


10am-8pm the Chinese lunar calendar and bunnies are in demand to
Chinatown, Melbourne, Victoria celebrate it. One online search showed more than 600
FREE ENTRY vendors selling rabbits at prices from 15 to 2,000 yuan
($2.25 to $300), Shanghai Daily reported.
Chinatown will be abuzz with drums, firecrackers, music,
singing & food with families celebrating the Year of the But, the paper said, the rabbits can spend five days in
Rabbit. shipment and many have suffocated or frozen to death in
the small boxes in which they are sent.
Sydney
28 January – 13 February
Sydney will be hosting a number of events to celebrate the Rabbity collectables
Year of the Rabbit. See the link below for information:
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cny/ Instead of collecting real rabbits, check out some of the fun
stuff that’s around to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit!
Every city will be celebrating the Chinese New Year and
reveling in the Year of the Rabbit for 2011 (even in
Queensland!). Check your local newspapers & websites to
find out what is happening near you.
. Life at the Do Hop Inn
By Karen

Happy New Year everyone! A few years ago we were


reporting on droughts, heat waves and bushfires. This
year, it’s torrential rain, floods, mosquitoes and myxo
epidemics. Australia hasn’t been kind to us or our bunnies
lately!

Apart from our continuous panic and anxiety over the threat
of myxo, we have had a few buns visiting the Melbourne
Rabbit Clinic due to other health issues.

Princess, who
had eye issues
last month, is Above is a photo of Molly’s ulcer (top right)
much better next to her tooth
after a dose of
medication. Molly is certainly feeling a lot better after her molar trim.
The day after her surgery, she was jumping on the bed for
Over Christmas the first time.
she seemed to
be losing her Even though Molly and Ginger moved into our bedroom a
sight as her eyes were irritated and becoming milky in few months ago, neither seemed interested in jumping on
colour. We don’t know why this happened but I removed a the bed. However, after both recently having molar trims to
rubber mat she was chewing, just in case it was a toxic treat their teeth problems (which was causing them both
substance that caused her eye issue. Fortunately, she pain), a new enthusiasm has emerged.
seems much happier now and apart from losing minimal
sight, is running around as normal. Ginger (right) is a
welcome guest in the
Another eye issue mornings and evenings
developed over but Molly, even though
Christmas for Pumpkin. we adore her, has a habit
of weeing on things. She
He lives next door to did not disappoint on her
Princess and suddenly first evening on the bed to
developed one weepy surprise me with a wet
eye. Of course we doona just before I went
panicked that Princess’s to bed! Oh well, we love them both and I’d prefer a happy
eye problem was bunny and a wet doona than a sad bun & dry bedding.
contagious!! I had even
convinced myself he We are now enjoying both buns visiting us in the mornings
was going blind as well. & evenings for a bunny bounce on the bed! Hopefully
Fortunately, he had his Molly will get over her weeing phase soon!
left eye flushed, a bit of
medication and now it is We have also
back to normal (fingers crossed xx). another bit of good
news! Our latest
little friend that
Molly also recently came to stay (Peter
visited the clinic as – left) has bonded
she started to lose with Ally (who lost
weight and seemed his partner
quieter than normal. Pancake last year).
It took a long time
It turned out she had to bond them as we
a nasty ulcer in her knew that Ally was very picky with his friends and can be a
mouth where a back little bit cranky at times.
tooth had cut into
her cheek. A few months ago we reported that the attempt to bond
them didn’t work but we persevered and took a very gentle
She had a molar trim to relieve her pain but quickly approach with their introductions. Now we can happily say
developed an abscess under her ear so she’s now on they are finally sharing a room together and seem very
penicillin injections to help fight any infection. content (another fingers crossed moment xxx).

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