SOS RABBIT | SOS COELHO

Two years ago, a serious outbreak of Rabbit Haemorrhagic disease (RHD) caused by a new strain of the virus that causes the disease, Rabbit Haemorrhagic disease virus, threatened several wild rabbit populations across the Iberian Peninsula. Aiming to address this issue and scaffold the recovery of these populations in Portugal, a collaboration protocol has been signed on October 23, in Mértola, by CIBIO-InBIO, National Association of Owners and Hunting Producers (1) and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Fund (2). By developing a massive national project, which entails a set of concerted actions that will allow to better understand the etiology, biology and impact of this new strain of the virus, the partners expect to be able to identify solutions to foster the preservation of this species, which constitutes a key element underpinning the stability of Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems.

(1) Associação Nacional de Proprietários e Produtores de Caça (ANPC)
(2) Fundo para a Conservação da Natureza e Biodiversidade

To know more, please read:
SOS COELHO | Caça e Cães de Caça, nr. 207| Jan 2015 (Portuguese only)

Credit Photos: João Carvalho, via "Caça & Cães de Caça"