I do wish people would get their facts right when they start petitions. It was not introduced illegally. Grrrr.
I will sign it but I always think these things carry more weight if the information is factually correct!
The detail about cats and dogs had me confused as well because it talks about wild rabbits and not domestic ones so we seem to be talking about two very different things.
Not wanting to sound like I'm being obstructive here but .... do we have any idea of how myxomatosis could be eradicated when it's so widespread in the wild bunny population? I'm not saying we shouldn't petition etc but I just wonder if there would be a solution to it.
sorry really don't want to rain on this as I think its a brillient idea to end animal suffering but I can tell you now exactly how the disease would be drastically reduced if goverment involved. a countrywide cull of wild rabbits. instant result - less rabbits with myxo.
best hope is that over time the natural survivors of each sweep will pass on their resistance to their offspring and eventually this horrible disease will lose its power .
yeah it's here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myxomatosis
I see here it says release didn't actually become illegal until '54,the year after some idiot initially released it. It's nice to see that the reason it became illegal was due to public outrage. I would have thought it may have been covered by a more general law about the import of viruses in '53 but I haven't found it yet.
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/viral/Myxomatosis.htm
it says hereit was illegally introduced in fance
http://www.future-of-vaccination.co.uk/myxomatosis-rabbit-disease.asp
it says here the UK govt initially tried to cotain the outbreak which would suggest to me it was not an officially planned release
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2005/Features/WTX024879.htm
I think there was a drive at the time to make the release of infected rabbits illegal but that the government would not do it and that the release was not therefore illegal.
They are adapting, buns are becoming immune or better able to handle the disease. I could take anyone interested to see a colony where 3 or 4 individuals have crumpled ears - the residual damage left behind from the horrific swelling caused from myxo.