Rabbit 'disappearances' may be due to deadly virus

Wild rabbits have "disappeared completely" from some rural areas of Kent, possibly due to a deadly virus, warn animal welfare experts.

Maidstone naturalist Theo McCausland said there were areas of the county "where you would expect to see more rabbits, and they're just not there any more".

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there were "many factors why rabbits might die out", but one could be a "pretty barbaric" strain of viral haemorrhagic disease virus.

The British Rabbit Council reported that one breeder lost a "huge number" of rabbits in 2025 and suspected this was due to the highly contagious RHD2 strain.

According to the Royal Veterinary College, the fatal disease spreads through direct contact or on bedding, hay and clothing.

The disease was first recognised in 1984 in China, with the RHD2 strain developing in recent years.

Hazel Elliott of the British Rabbit Council said the newer variant of the virus was "proving to be very virulent" and breeders with unvaccinated rabbits were losing "very large numbers".

"We have instances of BRC members losing between two and 100 rabbits," she said.

McCausland said: "It could be the disease or a new strain of it; it could be predation, or the population has moved for other reasons, such as burrows becoming flooded.

"So there are many factors why rabbits might die out in certain areas."

He added that rabbits were important to the food chain in Kent, with foxes and buzzards heavily reliant on them.

"Animals will only stay where there is a reliable source of food, but foxes will tend to try and find something else to target, like people's chicken houses."

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