Rabbit - Critically Endangered

Currently some areas in the South of Baden-Wuerttemberg /Germany face a rabbit invasion. Here’s the tipps some Southern Baden-Wuerttembergian garden owners I know have for people with similar problems:
>Build fences! As with protection against other wildlife, the top recommendation is the use of fencing around the garden with 1/2- to 1-inch mesh chicken wire and 1/4- to 1/2-inch-mesh poultry netting to create cylinders to protect individual plants.
The fence should be at least 2 feet high to keep rabbits from jumping over it. To prevent then from burrowing under it, the fencing should extend at least 6 inches below ground or be secured to the ground to keep the bottom edge tight. Electric net fencing also can be used for temporary control around seasonal gardens.
>Reduce nesting options by removing low shrubbery branches that provide harborage for rabbits; eliminating tall, dense vegetation and wood and debris piles; controlling vegetation along fence rows; and sealing spaces beneath buildings.
>Use garden fabric!
>Use repellents like spraying certain plants with the smell of something no rabbit would eat! You must spray your plants every few days though and even more often during rainy seasons.
>Make your garden more attractive for foxes, raptors, weasels and other predators by offering places to hide, to give birth and raise their offspring etc!
>If you own a dog, cat, ferret, falcon…, let it loose in your garden every once in a while. Rabbits will learn to avoid your garden.

The German party “Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz” now announced that the EU-Parliament told the EU-Commission this week to give a more detailed description on what measurements need to be taken politically to offer rabbits used in animal testings or in the production of meat or fur coats more humane living conditions. For example what cage-size should be ordered by law? What material should our law require for rabbit-cages etc.

“Tierschutz Euskirchen” says that in Wetterau (Hesse /Germany) many rabbits (domestic ones and wild ones alike have died of myxamatosis this month. It’s a great loss for breeders as this disease is easily transmmittable – already being touched by someone who before that touched a sick rabbit and then didn’t wash his hands could kill a rabbit. This sad story teaches us: If you can’t afford a vaccine against myxomatosis for your bunnies, better keep them indoors.

“Tierschutz Euskirchen” says that in the North of Saxony (Germany) right now the rabbit haemorrhagic disease – along with myxomatosis one of the most lethal diseases for rabbits – is killing many wild rabbits, hares and domesticated rabbits. While both diseases are completely harmless to any creature that is not leporidae and to domesticated rabbits that got their annual vaccinations against rabbit haemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis, the death toll among wild rabbits and domesticated rabbits that did not receive any vaccine usually is above 90%. That’s why it is so important to be careful with what you export to countries that harbor endangered rabbits like the riverine rabbit or the San José brush rabbit.

Two years ago the German animal-aid organisation “Tierschutzbüro” informed both veterinary office and office of the district attourney that a feed lot for rabbits in Brandenburg violated the German Protection of Animals Act. The building was examined and indeed they found evidence of animal cruelty in there. Some rodents were in so poor shape they had to be euthanized. Yet they simply warned the owner of this lot and later didn’t even check whether or not he had listened to their warnings. Thus they allowed him to continue leading his feed lot.
However when this became public – according to “Tierschutzbüro” – protests were so intense they voluntarily shut down.
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Re-upload 1: By the way you of course could also help by aiding the organisation you can read about on “http://www.sanparks.org/parks/tankwa/”. After all they try to preserve this animal’s habitat, the Karoo desert.
Re-upload 2: The riverine rabbit is the only critically endangered specimen of rabbit.
“http://www.givengain.com/cause/2347/projects/10009/” tries to save this extremely rare mammal. So do the owners of the website “http://www.ewt.org.za/WHATWEDO/OurProgrammes/RiverineRabbitProgramme.aspx”.
In addition I read in a newspaper article that now that Easter is coming soon the Swiss chocolater brand Lindt is donating 0,50€ for each sold chocolate rabbit to a conservation program.