Killer Bunny Plague hits the U.S.

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A new type of plague has just entered the United States. Rabbit Hemorrhagic Diseases hit Washington state.

Now, a new virus is sweeping the globe. Though it targets rabbits and therefore does not pose nearly the same economic threat as that posed by African Swine Fever, it nonetheless reveals how frightening new plagues can rapidly spread across our highly interconnected planet.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) was detected in a domesticated rabbit in the San Juan Islands, which are located north of Puget Sound in Washington State. Reports suggest that it is almost invariably lethal.

According to an article by Carlos Rouco and colleagues in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, RHDV2 was first detected in France in May 2010. It then spread like wildfire. Within one year, the virus was in southern Europe, and then in northern Europe shortly thereafter. Within five years, RHDV2 had spread to Africa and Australia. By 2016, the virus was in North America, and by 2018, in the United States and Israel. The authors conclude that a virus could only spread this quickly among rabbits if it was facilitated by humans, perhaps via transport of farmed rabbits.

Source: Ebola For Bunnies: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Strikes Washington State

Although this plague does not pose a direct threat to humans, it certainly does for our bunnies with near 100% lethality. Because we live in a highly interconnected world, it does display vulnerability that the next human plague will spread like wildfire and be difficult to contain.

Oh crap I live in Washington State and my neighborhood is full of wild bunnies that I love.

Aw, poor bun-buns.

I hear what you are saying Jimmy, it is scary how fast a plague can spread these days.

Has anyone considered purposely seeding Australia with this "plague"?

Bunnies have been a pest there for over a century (the continent is girded with "rabbit proof fences").

Sounds like it would be a godsend for freeing Australia of the animals.

The title of the thread is kinda amusing because of the ambiguity of meaning.
It sounds like you're talking about THIS:

This thread would be more fun if it were what I thought it was!

Killer bunnies...invading America!

One of those giant rabbits would be good eating.We’ll never go hungry again.

How much of a risk does this pose for pets, do you think? Especially ones that are kept outside. We have a bunny we keep outside right now, but she's mostly been kept inside. If this really is as bad as it sounds, sounds like we may reconsider getting her back inside soon.

I know we're really screwed if rabbits of all animals end up becoming endangered or even extinct because of a disease, which the article seems to be implying.