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Baltrum (Lower Saxony) – Bunny sat in the hole and slept… Poor bunny, are you sick that you can’t hop anymore? This classic has been sung in our kindergartens since the 19th century. Death has actually crept into millions of rabbit burrows. From Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria, animal rights activists are watching the drama and are powerless.

The so-called China disease is killing our rabbits. The disease is caused by the RHD virus, which first appeared in China in 1984 and has been raging in Germany with increasing severity every year since 2016.

All rabbit species are threatened by the Chinese disease – despite very high reproduction rates

Foto: picture alliance / imageBROKER/David & Micha Sheldo

On Baltrum (Lower Saxony), hunter and animal rights activist Jann Bengen observes the development with concern: “In fact, the situation on the mainland is now dramatic, because the few surviving rabbits are being hunted by other predators such as foxes, martens and Wolf are under pressure.” In cities, many rabbits also fall victim to Domestic cats.

Animal rights activist Jann Bengen from Baltrum sees the islands as the last oasis for wild rabbits

Photo: private

This is why the cute rodents are disappearing nationwide despite their extremely high reproduction rate. The Frisian Association for Nature Conservation estimates that the number of rabbits in Germany, which once numbered millions, has declined by over 90 percent since the early 2000s.

Infection mostly via fleas

The only hope is the islands. “There are three East Frisian Islands Rabbits, whose numbers are also declining significantly, but we have no predators on the ground here except for free-roaming domestic cats. That gives us hope,” says Jann Bengen. He believes that the population here could increase again.

The virus is transmitted via fleas and mosquitoes, and everyone in the den quickly becomes infected. Fatal: If the den is too full, rabbits wander off and form new colonies. After a certain incubation period, the next wave of deaths begins.

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Domestic rabbits and hares are also threatened

Animal rights activists are currently concerned about a new RHD variant. Bengen: “Until now, hares have not been affected by RHD. The new variant is making them sick and causing them to die as well.”

Are our domestic rabbits also threatened? Bengen: “All rabbits are affected. Vaccinations are essential. However, domestic and stable rabbits are infected less by fleas and more by biting, blood-sucking insects, in particular Mosquitoes.“