Reporter Ashton Mutyavaviri
Rabbit farmers have called on the government to impose a ban on rabbit imports from South Africa with immediate effect to prevent the spreading of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus ( RHDV), which is currently wreaking havoc in that country.
Zimbabwe Commercial Rabbit Breeders Association (ZICORBA) president Mr Regis Nyamakanga said the government should urgently move and ban imports on live rabbits from South Africa to contain the possible spreading of the diseases, which has since decimated significant populations of both domestic and wild rabbits in South Africa.
Mr Nyamakanga yesterday told The Herald that the Zimbabwean veterinary authorities were currently working with their South African counterparts to devise effective containment strategies for the disease in an effort to salvage the rabbit industries in both countries.
However, efforts to get a comment from the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) on the issue were fruitless with DVS Chief Director Dr Josphat Nyika saying he was not aware of the outbreak and would only comment after verifying the facts.
In South Africa, the disease was first reported in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape provinces. The disease has spread to Gauteng province and is reported to be wiping large populations of domestic wild rabbits.
Said Mr Nyamakanga: “People who may have had contact with infected animals should not be allowed on properties with healthy animals and if contact is necessary, they should change clothes, wash their hands and arms and disinfect footwear.”
Mr Nyamakanga said ZICORBA was collaborating with some animal vets to import vaccines, as part of a comprehensive strategy to shield the local rabbit industry from the lethal virus.
He went on to say ZICORBA had plans to initiate an awareness campaign aimed at curtailing the spread of RHDV to Zimbabwe.