Letter to the Editor RCD/biowarfare

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

My battle against the use of Rabbit Calicivirus as a biocontrol

agent against Australian wild rabbits continues and the issue made the cover

of the EDO

newsletter here in Western Australia this month (my EDO lawyer and I were

mentioned

along with our pending appeal).

 

How timely that my battle against RCD is now coming to a head

since this coincides with Australian researchers (aiming to produce a viral

vectored

immunocontraception for mice, rabbits and foxes) having admitted to creating

the ultimate biowarfare agent blueprint that could be used to wipe out

humankind.

 

Their virus blueprint (if duplicated in humans) may cause a failure of the

immune system

in 8 days. Apparently it takes about 8 years for AIDS to break down a human

immune sytem to the point

where people die. Now we have progressed this to a possible 8 days and a

supressed

immune system that would allow humans to die of diseases they could

normally overcome.

 

Hitler would have been proud of these guys.

 

Kind regards,

 

Marguerite

 

Mrs Marguerite Wegner

P.O.Box 30,

Riverton, WA 6148

(08)9354.2985

http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm

rabbit

 

 

 

Dear Editor,

 

For over 5 years I have campaigned to bring the truth out into the

public arena about the dangers of the use of a deadly virus as a biological

control agent in Australia. I refer to RCD or Rabbit Calicivirus Disease

otherwise known as Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease in Europe.

 

While I was searching for information about the RCD virus in early 1996

I came across the Annual Reports of the projects concerning the viral

vectored immunocontraceptive research to cause sterility in mice,

foxes and rabbits.

 

These projects are now being questioned

by some of the scientists involved in this research who say they are shocked

because their research may contribute to a biowarfare weapon of mass

destruction

of humans.

 

In 1996, I wrote to several overseas scientists and faxed them many official

pages

describing the Australian Immunocontraceptive research and the use of RCD

as a biological control agent of rabbits in Australia.

 

I was worried this research could have deadly consequences

if such engineered viruses jumped species or

found their way to countries where foxes, mice and rabbits were not

considered pests.

 

I sent the replies I received to many people including the Australian

Minister for Agriculture at the time ,

Mr John Anderson, who I believe ignored the overseas scientists` opinions.

 

Some of the answers I received in reply from overseas included the

following:

 

Professor Leo Jeffcott of Cambridge University said " The release of exotic

viruses has unpredictable consequences. The relevance of vectors which may

induce sterility, if effective, would appear to be more safe. However, this

carries the risk of disturbing existing ecological balance. "

 

" Viruses and rabbits (and cane toads) are all capable of genetic mutations

and great diversity. The likely outcome for release of calicivirus will be

calicivirus resistant rabbits and attenuated caliciviruses. "

 

" Release of exotic pathogens is an inherently risky undertaking. "

 

Dr Jay Kirkpatrick, biologist of Zoo Montana said " I can tell you that the

very idea of a viral-vectored immunocontraceptive here in the U.S. is

totally out of the question for regulatory reasons. Our Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) will not permit such an approach under almost any

circumstances. Even oral delivery is out of the question unless the

immunocontraceptive is species-specific, something that represents a huge

scientific hurdle. Add to that the concern that viruses mutate rapidly and

may be able to infect something other than the target species, and that no

known immunocontraceptive is species-specific (and ours can in fact

contracept humans) and we have sound reason for never even considering such

an approach. "

 

" I’m sorry I cannot be more optimistic, but the world in which I live is

largely dictated by what we may and may not do legally and within the scope

of public acceptability. My colleagues here are still absolutely amazed that

Australia permits any viral-vectored contraceptive research (or viral

vectored lethal control) to go forth at all. "

 

Dr Fransisco Parra of Spain wrote " I would not recommend the use of RHD as a

means of pest control considering several aspects: "

 

" In the first place, from the ethical point of view, I do not think it is

admissible the deliberate release of a live virus infecting mammals. "

 

" It is funny that we spend so much time talking about the biological impact

of the use of transgenic plants for instance, and nobody cares about using

an infectious agent, able to kill an animal in two days! "

 

" The experiments used to demonstrate the possibility of transmission to

humans or other animal species do not rule out that the infection can occur

using higher doses, alternative infection routes or a virus inoculum

obtained after several passages in susceptible animals. The virus used in

the experiments belongs to a particular stage of evolution and this will

change after repeated infection rounds. "

 

" I can only say that lack of evidence can not be used as an evidence of the

lack of transmission of rabbit calicivirus to other animal species. I agree

that no restrictions on the consumption of rabbit meat were placed but

nobody had said that it was all right to eat rabbits that have died from

RHD. "

 

Dr Alvin Smith of Oregon State University and Dr David Matson of East

Virginia Medical School

also wrote to the Australian Government opposing the use of RCD in

Australia.

 

I am still trying to obtain details of the RCD bait testing protocols from

the NRA so I can have these protocols independently assessed by overseas

scientists before RCD food baits are made legal in Australia. (If the RCD

food baits are legalised, many other species may ingest the virus which

causes a

hemorrhagic death in rabbits. RCD has also been reported as killing hares, a

different species to rabbits.)

 

The NRA have denied me access to the information I desire and now Mr Cameron

Poustie, a lawyer from the Environmental Defender’s Office in Perth is

helping me with a final attempt to obtain the RCD bait

information by appealing to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

 

Perhaps the present outcry over research into deadly viruses occurring in

Australia may lead to a freeze or ban on Genetic Engineering and testing of

deadly viruses as biowarfare agents against animals.

 

It may also be timely to make sure that regulations and laws are set in

place

in Australia to protect humans and animals from misguided science and the

dangerous consequences

of tampering with nature that may have irreversible effects on the web of

life

as we know it.

 

Kind regards,

 

Marguerite Wegner