The bunnies bounce back

Mat Manning rejoices in the return of his favourite quarry as there is an explosion of rabbits on his patch after last year’s dearth

- Mat Manning

Rabbits have always had a reputation for being able to reproduce at a rapid rate, but there weren’t many signs of that happening on my patch last year. Thankfully, things are looking very different this summer and I am delighted to report that these resilient creatures are, once again, breeding like rabbits.

Several factors appear to have contributed to last year’s dearth of bunnies where I live in the west of England. The finger is usually pointed at myxomatosis when rabbit numbers fall off a cliff, but I think the sudden and very dramatic decline is most likely to have been caused by rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD).

This highly infectious disease kills extremely quickly, has a very high mortality rate and often leaves no obvious signs on its victims. This means it can easily go unnoticed by anyone other than those of us who take a keen interest in our local rabbit populations.

Interestingly, the sudden disappearance of rabbits also appeared to coincide with a steep rise in badger numbers, so it could be that predation also played a part. I have on numerous occasions seen badgers grubbing up young rabbits from their nests.

So it’s good news that rabbits appear to be making a comeback, and I hope that is the case in other regions too. Their return in my neck of the woods began when I was called out on a couple of jobs where populations were reaching problematic levels through the late spring and early summer.

I expected the comeback to be a gradual one, but we are witnessing a real explosion. Roadside verges that were devoid of rabbits last summer are now dotted with bunnies of all sizes, and I am getting an increasing number of calls from landowners who need help keeping numbers in check.