DA Saddened by passing of Rabbits at Benoni Bunny Park
by Cllr. Lornette Joseph — DA Ward Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 30 October 2023
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
The Democratic Alliance in Ekurhuleni is saddened by the loss of over 40 Rabbits at the Benoni Bunny Park from the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Viral Disease (RHVD).
On Monday 23 October 2023, the caretaker at Bunny Park phoned the Parks and Environment Department to inform them that a lot of rabbits had died since Sunday morning.
The staff at the Bunny Park, with the department, immediately removed all the dead rabbits. The park was closed to prevent any visitor from spreading the virus.
The outbreak was reported to the State Veterinarian, the local veterinarian the park uses and the Department of Agriculture. and the DA Spokespersons for the Environment also informed the SPCA.
The State Veteran gave the protocols that needed to be followed, which the team followed to the letter.
The first outbreak of the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Viral Disease (RHVD) was last week at a resident in Rynfield, who according to the Benoni City Times lost 60 of her own rabbits and 2–3 days later the virus was at Bunny Park.
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Viral Disease (RHVD) is a highly contagious, acute and fatal disease of rabbits, first identified in China in 1984. A variant of RHVD, named RHVD2 was identified in France in 2010 and since then has spread throughout Europe. The first outbreak in South Africa was reported in November 2022 and has since spread to five provinces. There have been 165 outbreaks reported in the Northern Cape, 41 outbreaks in the Western Cape, 6 in the Free State, 5 in the Eastern Cape and an outbreak was confirmed in Gauteng Province. RHVD is not a food safety concern and the disease poses no risk to humans.
Although rabbits of all ages can be infected, the infection is subclinical in animals younger than 6–8 weeks old, however, mortalities in young animals from 15–20 days old have also been reported. RHDV has not been reported in other mammals, including rabbit predators. RHVD is a viral disease and is transmitted through direct contact with infected animals through the oral, nasal or conjunctival routes, hair from an infected animal, contaminated food, bedding and water, flies and other insects are very efficient mechanical vectors.
Unfortunately, all the rabbits in Bunny Park had died. The park will remain closed until further notice, giving enough time for the workers to drench the soil with bleach and water, and spray all the walls of the enclosure and all the concrete pipes in the enclosure for a second time.
There will be no rabbits in the park for the next 6 months or until the state veterinarian states it is safe to keep rabbits again.
It is crucial to note that this virus, is not a disease caused or transmitted as a result of poor maintenance or poor animal health. As with avian influenza outbreaks in South Africa, there is very little we can do.
Sadly, the rabbits could not be vaccinated in time because the department was only advised via the Benoni City Times, and within 3 days the virus was in the Bunny Park.
The department has already started to vaccinate the Rabbits at the Bokkie Park in Boksburg to protect them against RHVD.
Residents are urged not to pick up any dead Rabbits from the side of the road, but to please notify the Councillor for the area. And if you have Rabbits that have passed away, please ensure that you are wearing two sets of gloves, that the rabbits are placed in a sturdy bag and should be buried at least 1.5m deep, first a layer of agricultural lime, then the rabbits and again a layer of agricultural lime.
Cllr. Lornette Joseph
DA Ward Councillor in Ekurhuleni
083 847 4510
