Suspected Mixy in Hares.

Cass

Seen a video about two weeks ago. A lad out shooting came across a Hare that was staggering around (almost looked drunk) didn't try to run from him, and seemed confused.

Since then a few more cases have been reported and now some are speculating that Myxomatosis has made the jump to Hares.

So far only cases in the UK have been reported and no serious testing has been done to confirm, but it seems to be under way.

This should, in my opinion, be treated as seriously as foot and mouth, and as long as there are no cases of it here every effort should be made to try and make sure it doesn't happen.

I don't have a huge amount of rabbit shooting, only two of my many permissions have rabbits, but there is a healthy Hare population where i hunt deer. Now i don't touch Hares. Never have, never will. I see no need to hunt them.

I would hate to see them wiped out if it spread from the UK to here.

gunny123

They don't know what it is Cass, i just hope its something that clears up quickly. I hate to think of animals dying slowly, in pain of some horrible disease.


http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/mystery-disease-hare-deaths-east-anglia-1-5732546

wexfordman2

Cass wrote: »

Seen a video about two weeks ago. A lad out shooting came across a Hare that was staggering around (almost looked drunk) didn't try to run from him, and seemed confused.

Since then a few more cases have been reported and now some are speculating that Myxomatosis has made the jump to Hares.

So far only cases in the UK have been reported and no serious testing has been done to confirm, but it seems to be under way.

This should, in my opinion, be treated as seriously as foot and mouth, and as long as there are no cases of it here every effort should be made to try and make sure it doesn't happen.

I don't have a huge amount of rabbit shooting, only two of my many permissions have rabbits, but there is a healthy Hare population where i hunt deer. Now i don't touch Hares. Never have, never will. I see no need to hunt them.

I would hate to see them wiped out if it spread from the UK to here.

Is the hare not closer related to deer than rabbit ?

I'm sure I read that somewhere

Markcheese

How is mixamitosis spread...? Would it be possible to keep it out ( the hare version)
I assume nobody is transporting live hares (or dead ones) onto the island?
But hare population are under enough pressure as it is..
,

Cass

Markcheese wrote: »

How is mixamitosis spread...?

Close contact between infected and not infected plus it's spread through biting insects.

Would it be possible to keep it out ( the hare version)

God only knows. Unlike Foot and Mouth that involved a million Euro industry Hares might not be given the same protection/help.

I assume nobody is transporting live hares (or dead ones) onto the island?

No way to know, but it's possible.

But hare population are under enough pressure as it is..
,

Yup.

Cass

gunny123 wrote: »

They don't know what it is Cass,

Yeah it's just a suspicion but some say it's has all the hall marks.

i just hope its something that clears up quickly. I hate to think of animals dying slowly, in pain of some horrible disease.

You can sing that.

Cass

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Is the hare not closer related to deer than rabbit ?

I'm sure I read that somewhere

Couldn't tell ya.

Rows Grower

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Is the hare not closer related to deer than rabbit ?

I'm sure I read that somewhere

What kind of hares do ye have in Wexford?

The one's here in Kerry look like a rabbit with big ears and huge back legs.

Maybe ye have some special breed of deer that was crossed with a Kangaroo in some kind of Young Frankenstein in Enniscorthy type experiment?

Grizzly 45

Be very unusual in hares,as they don't live in close proximity to each other in burrows like rabbits,who transfer infected fleas onto each other.
But does seem to have happened occasionally.
From the IT,and with commentary from that twit in Callan...For whatever reason..:rolleyes:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/department-of-agriculture-on-alert-for-myxomatosis-in-hares-1.3664593

skipking

just looked it up on the net hares are of the same family as the rabbit. hope it does not spread.