How important are rabbits and other wildlife in the transmission of the disease?
Studies carried out by SAC researchers in Scotland have found that rabbits have the potential to harbour the disease in a situation that could be similar to that postulated for badgers and TB. However, rabbit control, as mentioned by so many of you, can be very difficult. The disease has also been detected in other animals (predators of rabbits such as foxes and stoats) but it is thought that these animals are not capable of transmitting the disease but are just end-stage hosts. The best advice to adhere to is to prevent young calves grazing on pastures where there are a lot of rabbits and rabbit faeces present. Hopefully further research into the subject in the future will give us a better idea of the importance of rabbits in the transmission of the disease.
