RHD is deadly & spreading. It has high mortality with excruciating symptoms, and can move from wild/feral rabbits to domestics.

Effective vaccines exist already for domestic rabbits, but we need to address the problem at its reservoir: wild & feral populations.

We, the undersigned, encourage development of a humane, safe, & practical RHD vaccine for wild/feral rabbits. This will save countless animals, including domestic rabbits, and strengthen biosecurity.

Please prioritize this work.

 

What’s already promising

Wildlife oral vaccination has decades of field experience across North America and Europe using edible vaccines delivered in bait / scattered feed.  Many countries already use oral rabies vaccine baits for wildlife (raccoons, foxes, skunks), which dramatically reduce rabies risk for people & pets.

Edible RHD vaccine research: Portugal’s FIGHT-TWO project built virus-like particles (VLPs) for RHDV2 that look right to the immune system, show strong lab signals, and survive drying and heat/humidity swings—key for real-world baits. The next step is better oral delivery (e.g., coatings, micro-encapsulation, dosing).

Innovative delivery ideas: FIGHT-TWO collaborators have patented a non-invasive, pressurized vaccination with AI recognition to target wild rabbits and avoid non-targets—another path regulators could evaluate, and we're curious to learn more of. This system uses RHD vaccines already approved & widely used.

 

Our specific asks

For vaccine R&D teams and manufacturers:

• Invest in non-transmissible wildlife-ready RHD vaccines (e.g., bait-delivered VLP/subunit formulations) and/or non-invasive delivery systems suitable for field use.
• Design with non-target safety in mind (species selectivity: rabbits/leporids only).

For regulators & wildlife authorities:

• Establish a clear pilot pathway (environmental assessment + veterinary biologics review) for field trials of RHD vaccines.
• Enable evidence-based approvals that draw on existing science from rabies vaccine programs (baiting methods, monitoring, data standards).
• Apply the 3Rs of lab animal use (Replace, Reduce, Refine) in review & post-approval testing

 

Our ethics: the 3Rs, plainly

We support fast, rigorous science with compassion. In line with the 3Rs we encourage:

• non-animal methods (e.g. micro-assays, organ-on-chip, computer modelling).
• focusing efficacy studies on wild populations already at risk for RHD.
• using data from historical controls instead of new control groups.

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FAQs:

Q: Wouldn’t distributing an RHD vaccine risk spreading RHD itself?
A: No. The vaccines we’re asking for are non-transmissible (e.g., inactivated or recombinant VLP/subunit). They do not contain live, spreading RHD virus and cannot cause RHD. Each bait immunizes only the rabbit that eats it. Any pilot would go through standard regulatory and environmental review and field monitoring, similar to long-running oral rabies programs.

Q: Will baits hurt other wildlife or people’s pets?
A: No. We’re asking for non-transmissible, non-toxic vaccine baits (e.g., VLP/subunit). They can’t cause RHD and contain no poison. Pilots would use species-selective bait design and careful placement/timing, with monitoring for non-target uptake—the same playbook used in oral rabies programs. Local agencies also provide pet-owner advisories during drops.

Q: How will we know it’s working (and which rabbits ate the bait)?
A: Pilots use simple tools: (1) a safe marker mixed into a small subset of baits (e.g., tetracycline) that leaves a harmless glow line in teeth—letting biologists check if a rabbit ate a bait; (2) camera traps at bait stations; and (3) pre-/post-season checks (fewer outbreaks, and small blood/whisker samples to show antibodies). Together, these show uptake and protection.

Q: Who would pay for this?
A: Typically a mix: wildlife agencies, agriculture/ biosecurity funds, municipalities, conservation/rehab groups, and sometimes philanthropy. Costs are managed by starting with small pilots (like oral rabies programs did), then scaling where results are strong. This petition doesn’t ask for money—only for R&D and regulatory commitment so funders have a clear path to support.

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As of Sept 2025: We welcome updates from any team progressing on a wildlife RHD vaccine. We support pilot approvals that are science-led, humane, and transparent.

 

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Public health / Wildlife management (agency/role)
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