Feb/March 2011
TH E • Myxo articles
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Pets in Vaccine Push
16 February 2011 – The Torch Bankstown (NSW)
Karen Kaprot has joined a campaign to send one
million toy bunnies and a petition to the Minister for
Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry during 2011’s
Chinese Year of the Rabbit
In 2005, Greenacre’s Karen Kaprot was given a tiny three-
week-old baby bunny, rescued from the side of a busy
highway.
Her obsession had begun.
“I had never had a rabbit before, so I quickly set out to
learn as much as I could about these beautiful animals,”
Karen said.
Karen has joined a campaign to send one million toy
bunnies and a petition to the Minister for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry during 2011’s Chinese Year of the
Rabbit to convince the Federal Government to allow the
introduction of a myxomatosis vaccine into Australia for pet
rabbits.
Karen said she wants to increase awareness of rabbits in
Australia, and what was involved in caring for them.
“I intend to educate people through the media using the
period just before Easter to do this. Spreading the word
about the myxomatosis problem in Australia and the
petition and campaign to send toy rabbits is the start of my
project,” she said.
Karen said that while rabbits were intelligent, curious,
loving pets, they were not low maintenance and could be a
10-year commitment.
To find out more about the campaign, you can go to
www.radicalrabbit.org
•
•
Myxo campaign
HOP!!! – the movie
Chinese Year of the Rabbit
•
• Life at the Do Hop Inn
• Ramsay needs a home
Hopping for Action
16 February 2011 – Whitehorse Leader Newspaper (Vic)
THE Federal Government will not
rule out legalising a vaccine that
would help rabbits beat a deadly
disease that is ravaging the
domestic population.
While a vaccine for myxomatosis is
legal in New Zealand, it is not in
Australia for fear it could be
transmitted to the wild rabbit population.
Deakin MP Mike Symon said he was encouraged by
research into a vaccine, but could not provide a date as to
when a vaccine might be available.
“Scientists at the CSIRO, alongside the Invasive Animals
Cooperative Research Centre, have recently undertaken
research to identify a myxomatosis vaccine that might be
used in pet rabbits without the risk of spreading the vaccine
strain to wild rabbits,” Mr Symon said.
“Until there has been further progress on the vaccine I
would encourage pet owners to discuss ways they can
protect their pet with their family vet.”
Mr Symon’s response came as a Mt Waverley woman
began a campaign to demand the vaccine be legalised.
Activist Karen Vondruska is encouraging people to post a
toy rabbit with a letter asking Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry Minister Joe Ludwig for the vaccine to be
legalised.
Ms Vondruska is the creator of radicalrabbit.org and
boingonline.com.
She said loved pet bunnies were dying needlessly because
of the disease.
“We started the campaign on February 4 because it is the
Chinese Year of the Rabbit,” she said.
Ms Vondruska works at the Melbourne Rabbit Clinic in
Ferntree Gully and said she received calls daily from rabbit
owners whose pets had contracted myxomatosis.
 Vet wants rabbit vaccine Rabbit Colony Decimated
February 2011 – Daily Examiner (NSW)
legalised
8 February 2011 – ABC North Coast (NSW) Rabbit Rouser: Kim
Cooney with Biscuit
A Clarence Valley veterinarian has called for the legalisation of the rabbit, and a toy
a vaccine to protect pet rabbits against the myxomatosis virus. rabbit she is
encouraging people
Chris Gough, from Riverbank Animal Hospital, recently to send to MPs to get
euthanased 60 rabbits from the South Grafton Rabbit
a vaccine for
Sanctuary infected by myxomatosis.
myxomatosis
The sanctuary is a haven for unwanted pet rabbits.
South Grafton’s Rabbit Sanctuary lost 80 inhabitants in just
"It was a dreadful time, particularly for the sanctuary owner," one afternoon last month as an outbreak of the
said Mr Gough. myxomatosis virus continues to take its toll across the
Northern Rivers area.
"A lot of the rabbits there are from families who had relocated
to Queensland and in Queensland it's illegal to keep rabbits as Still emotional and troubled by the loss of close to 80% of
pets. her colony of rabbits, Kim Cooney is frustrated by the
Federal Government’s ban on the use of the myxomatosis
"The sad thing is that it's affecting people's much loved family vaccine, which is the only certain protection pet owners can
pets too." use to guard against the disease.

Mr Gough, who is originally from the United Kingdom, said a
vaccine was available for pet rabbits in the UK.
"There is actually a really good vaccine we could protect pet
rabbits with but it's not allowed in Australia," he said.
"In the UK it's a routinely done thing for pet rabbits to be
vaccinated against it and it is very effective.
"As far as I'm aware in the UK the use of the vaccine in pet
rabbits hasn't then spread immunity to wild rabbits."
Mrs Cooney has joined a campaign urging people to send
as many stuffed toy rabbits as possible to the government
in Canberra, demanding the myxomatosis vaccine be made
available.
Vet Chris Gough from the Riverbank Animal Hospital said
vaccinating domestic rabbits would not strengthen feral
animal populations.
“Rabbits could only be protected if they received the
vaccine directly. Protection is not passed onto offspring,”
he said.

Myxo Campaign
To join in the campaign to demand the myxo vaccination, you can sign our online petition. We
already have over 650 signatures but we need many more to make a difference. Please sign
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41908.html

You can print off a hard copy of the petition here to get your own friends & family to sign. Send it to
the address below.
http://www.radicalrabbit.org/myxo_petition.html

One Million Bunnies to Myxo Minister

Please join our major campaign & mail a toy bunny, photo, rabbit picture and/or petition to:

The Hon Joe Ludwig

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

You can include Radical Rabbit’s letter dedicating it to a bunny that has lost his/her life to
myxomatosis
http://www.radicalrabbit.org/myxo_letter.html
 A worshipper touches a
relief of a rabbit at the Bai
Yun Guan (White Cloud
Temple), ahead of the
Chinese Lunar New Year,
in Beijing Juanuary 28,
Coming to a cinema near you 2011. The Lunar New Year
in April 2011 begins on February 3 and
marks the start of the Year
Blending state-of-the-art animation with live action, Hop of the Rabbit, according to
tells the comic tale of Fred (James Marsden), an out-of- the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese characters read, "Holy
work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny rabbit flying to the moon, symbols auspiciousness and
(voiced by Russell Brand) and must take him in as he happiness".
recovers. As Fred struggles with the world’s worst house
guest, both will learn what it takes to finally grow up. Sadly, not all good news

Rabbits in little
cages wait to be
given away as
prizes at a
temple fair to
celebrate the
Year of the
Rabbit on
February 2,
2011.

Year of the Rabbit Celebrations

12 February 2011 – www.imcp.com.au (Melbourne)

Melbourne’s Chinatown was abuzz celebrating the Year of the Rabbit. It was so much fun!!!
. Life at the Do Hop Inn Adopt me!
By Karen
Name: Ramsay
Life has been very busy at the Do Hop Inn with Radical
Rabbit’s myxo campaign. The start of the Year of the Location: Brighton, Melbourne
Rabbit had me sending off toy bunnies and writing letters to
Joe Ludwig, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
(haven’t finished yet!!! Still have more to send).

The online petition is going strong and the comments made

by so many people who have sadly lost their buns has
been heart breaking.

The many articles in newspapers have been fabulous and I

really thank everyone who has supported the campaign
and I am so sorry that so many beautiful & loved buns have
lost their lives so far. I only hope that many of you will keep
supporting the campaign & keep fighting for our right for a
vaccine. People power can win this fight for our buns!

From everyone here at the Do Hop Inn, we hope that your

buns stay safe. We recommend bringing your buns Ramsay is a male white dwarf lop with grey ears. He is
indoors with no outside runs until at least May 2011 to approximately five months old and has been de-sexed &
avoid the risk of myxomatosis. vaccinated against calici.

At the Do Hop Inn, the BOING bunnies have been plodding Ramsay is energetic and inquisitive. He loves pats but
along. not so keen on laps.

Molly (left) has happily stopped
getting up on the bed and
weeing!! It was only a few
times when Molly & Ginger first
moved into the bedroom,
however, that was enough to
work out a solution to stop her
jumping on the bed.
Ramsay was bought at Christmas for the kids but is not
a fan of the children and would prefer a home where he
can get more adult attention.
If you are interested in adopting Ramsay, please contact
Fiona on fiasco2011@bigpond.com

As the bed is very high and there was a limited area for her
to access, it was very easy to place giant pillows on the
access point. Molly was unable to jump over the pillows
and quickly lost interest. Now she happily bounces around
on the floor with Ginger and the bedding stays nice & dry!!!

Ginger still jumps up in the mornings for his regular checks

to make sure I’m ok but then jumps straight down when I
wake up.

Lulu (left) had been

breathing quite sharply. A
trip to the Melbourne Rabbit
Clinic and an xray showed
an enormous mass in her
chest that is pressing on her
lungs & heart.

Sadly, we can’t do much as

we don’t know what the mass could be and surgery isn’t an
option as she would not survive.

We are currently providing palliative care and lots of hugs &

kisses… and loads of treats for her.

She is just the most adorable bunny and without my

snuggle bunny, our house will just not be the same but we
will have to face that moment at some stage.