(Aus) Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease food bait update

[Guest guest]

Australia may face further spread of deadly haemorrhagic disease on food

baits.

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

 

The National Registration Authority is considering an application to

legalise Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease on edible baits to kill wild rabbits in

Australia.

 

International scientists fear spreading RHD food baits will increase the

possibility of ill-health in humans and Australian native animals exposed to

RHD baits.

 

Animal welfarists are dismayed the manufacture process to make RHD virus

available in vials to mix with carrot baits will probably involve growing

the virus in thousands of live laboratory rabbits over many years.

 

Scientists have been unable to grow RHD in test tubes outside of live

rabbits.

 

" Many laboratory rabbits may be deliberately infected with RHD and used as

live incubators to grow RHD virus. They will be killed so the RHD virus can

be extracted from their infected livers to make the RHD biocide. Apparently

the same procedure is used to grow RHD virus for the RHD vaccine, " said

Marguerite Wegner of Rabbit Information Service.

 

" The laboratory rabbits are the same breeds of rabbits we know and love as

pets, " she said.

 

" The deliberate infection and death of possibly thousands of pet rabbits

housed in laboratories every year to grow such a deadly disease as RHD to

spread to kill wild rabbits reveals the cruel nature of those involved in

the RCD saga, " she said.

 

" RHD will not wipe out the Australian wild rabbit population and in New

Zealand rabbit numbers have bounced back despite the existence of RHD. New

Zealand researchers have observed some wild rabbits fed with RHD baits in

New Zealand taking weeks to die while their ears rot away at the same time.

This effect has been seen nowhere else in the world except New Zealand and

NZ is the only country to deliberately spread RHD on food baits. "

 

" The whole RCD saga is a cruel, dangerous and inhumane approach to wild

animal control, " said Ms Wegner.

 

Dr Michael Studdert of Melbourne University School of Veterinary Science was

employed by the NRA to review scientific aspects of the RCD bait

application.

 

The NRA attempted to keep Dr Studdert's identity a secret and he was

referred to as the " secret reviewer " by those who faced the long and arduous

task of revealing his identity through an appeal to the Australian

Administrative Tribunal.

 

" The Government expected us to accept the word of a reviewer whose name and

credentials were to remain a secret to everyone and this was unacceptable, "

said Ms Wegner.

 

The Environmental Defenders Office in Perth, Western Australia helped win

the appeal to reveal the reviewer’s identity.

 

Dr Studdert is not a human health expert and the NRA has put the scrutiny of

part of the RCD bait application in the hands of one man rather than a panel

of international and unbiased health professionals (including human health

professionals).

 

Dr Michael Studdert was quoted in The Australian Veterinary Journal (August

1984) as saying " The gene(s) responsible for the massive destruction of

hepatocytes and for triggering DIC should be identified because these

gene(s) could be spliced into the genome of Myxomatosis virus to enhance its

effectiveness in the control of rabbits. It will also be important to define

the effects of both myxomatosis virus and RHDV when both are present. Since

their pathogens are quite distinct and independent it may be expected that

they will act synergistically. A two-virus means of biological control

should be more effective than a single virus not least because of reduced

opportunities for virus-resistant rabbits to emerge. "

 

Some authorities fear Dr Studdert is not unbiased in his views on RCD and

may have a conflict of interests in assessing the RCD baits.

 

Documents accessed under the Freedom of Information Act say the National

Registration Board has expressed the view " Further [public] consultation is

considered unlikely to be meaningful. The NRA board has expressed the view

they do not wish for another round of public consultation. "

 

RHD virus causes a horrible haemorrhagic death to wild rabbits in Australia

and many species of Australian animals will be directly exposed to RHD in

unknown quantities for the first time.

 

Environmentalists are concerned that disposal of effluent and disgarded

equipment and baits contaminated with RHD due to manufacture and bait mixing

may seep into waterways and food supplies of both animals and humans.

 

Some occupational health and safety professionals are concerned that those

mixing the baits with virus are told to cover themselves from head to toe

with safety clothing and to wear breathing masks to avoid coming into

contact with " foreign protein. "

 

No debate over the health of those involved in manufacturing and spreading

the RHD baits has occurred and overseas health experts concerned about RHD

as an emerging deadly disease of mammals fear increased contact between RHD

and humans due to the RHD food baits may increase health risks.

 

" What about the health of those humans involved with infecting the

laboratory rabbits and how will the rabbits be infected to grow the virus?

Will there be sheds full of laboratory rabbits infected by RHD using aerosol

sprays or are they to be injected with the deadly disease? Who is monitoring

the disposal of effluent, sharps and other equipment " said one consultant.

 

The National Registration Authority has denied a public consultation process

about the RCD baits.

 

The NRA are treating the RCD baits as a " change of label " application of the

RHD injectible product.

 

 

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