New ‘viral cocktail’ killing hares in UK and Ireland, scientist warns

[Still Waters]

More than 1,100 hares have been recorded as dying of a new “viral cocktail” since 2018 as fears grow that a form of myxomatosis has jumped from rabbits.

People are being urged to report dying or dead hares to scientists who are seeking to discover the cause of so many unexplained deaths in the hare population, with a spike in sickness occurring each autumn.

Diana Bell, a professor of conservation biology at the University of East Anglia, said a “viral cocktail” of several deadly new diseases was pushing the hare population in Britain and Ireland to the brink, alongside other pressures, including illegal hare-coursing and habitat loss.

The brown hare has inspired a rich vein of folklore and poetry since arriving in Britain in or before Roman times, but its numbers have fallen by an estimated 80% over the last century.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/27/new-viral-cocktail-killing-hares-in-uk-and-ireland-scientists-warn-myxomatosis

[Nnicolette]

Oh no! Britain is going bald.