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Vancouver Island group cancels annual rabbit show because of deadly virus

Apr 5, 2018 | 8:15 AM

VICTORIA — A disease that is deadly to rabbits has prompted the Vancouver Island Rabbit Breeders Association to cancel its annual show.

A notice posted on the association’s website says its 100th anniversary show in Victoria has been cancelled because rabbit hemorrhagic disease has been confirmed in the Vancouver Island cities of Nanaimo and Comox.

The illness, which can kill affected European rabbits within 36 hours, has also been reported in Delta, and B.C.’s chief wildlife veterinarian has said the virus has already killed hundreds of feral rabbits.

The association says it intends to reschedule the show as soon as concerns about the spread of the disease have eased.