Rabbits, graceful (and edible) creatures often used in Italy as pets, elsewhere (for example in Australia and New Zealand) represent a real environmental scourge.
Exported to other more favorable habitats by humans, rabbits are a significant source of problems to say the least. Because of their enormous appetite and the speed with which they reproduce, wild rabbits represent a harmful and pest alien species for the agriculture of these places.
In an attempt to contain the infestation of rabbits, traps, barriers, fences, hunting, etc. have been used, but the most effective measure is undoubtedly the viral spread of myxomatosis (in jargon, myxo or mixi) and calicivirus .
In Europe, where rabbits are bred on a large scale for food purposes, they are protected from these infections by injecting a genetically modified virus that acts as a vaccine. This was developed in Spain and, from an economic point of view, has proved extremely beneficial.
However, if the genetically modified virus reached the wild populations of Australia (where the rabbit is a beautiful and good plague), a further population explosion could occur.
In Australia and New Zealand, rabbits are considered to be such infesting animals as to oblige farmers to control their population density from a legislative point of view.
