ECan dismisses fears of variant calicivirus

ENVIRONMENT Canterbury has dismissed social media concerns that a new rabbit virus has been illegally released in New Zealand.

Environment Canterbury, like Environment Southland and the Otago Regional Council, has imported and released a Korean strain of the Czech rabbit calicivirus that was first illegally imported and released in 1997.

Environment Canterbury, on behalf of a national consortium including regional councils, Federated Farmers, the Department of Conservation and Land Information New Zealand, applied to the Ministry for Primary Industries for the right to import and release a Korean variant of RHDV1.

Pet rabbit owners have been advised to contact their vets to talk about vaccinations since the approval was announced at the end of February.

Landcare Research says the strains are effectively blocked by currently available vaccines, but some pet rabbit owners have said on social media their vaccinated rabbits have nevertheless died, spurring fears a different — seemingly vaccine resistant — virus found in Australia, RHDV2, is present here too.

Environment Canterbury biosecurity regional leader Graham Sullivan said he was aware of concerns raised on social media but there was no evidence to support the claims.

‘‘We have found nothing to act on,’’ he said.