ChatterBank4 mins ago
Dead Rabbit In The Garden
55 Answers
Our garden backs onto a field and we quite often get wild rabbits coming in to our garden from the field. Last night I noticed one that didn't seem very well as it wasn't moving much, though it did eventually hop off into next doors garden. Today there is a dead rabbit in our garden. What do I do with it? Our black bin for general waste isn't due to be collected until a week on Monday, so if I put it in there it will be very smelly by then. I do wish it had stayed in next doors garden and died there, but as it didn't I'm now stuck with the problem.
Answers
I'd lob it in the field. Well I wouldn'
14:40 Sat 13th Jun 2015
Look… if you observed the rabbit to the point you say it didn't seem very well and wasn't moving much, the last thing you want to do is "lob it into the neighbors garden" (not very neighborly, is it?) or even into a close-by field since the reason why it wasn't looking well could be that it was infected with tularemia… which can be spread to other animals as well as humans… see here:
Many routes of human exposure to the tularemia bacteria are known to exist. The common routes include inoculation of the skin or mucous membranes with blood or tissue while handling infected animals, the bite of an infected tick, contact with fluids from infected deer flies or ticks, or handling or eating insufficiently cooked rabbit meat. Less common means of spread are drinking contaminated water, inhaling dust from contaminated soil or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals…(Source: Illinois Department of Public Health).
It's not to be taken lightly since the infection of humans can cause serious consequences.
The most sensible disposal (recognizing the possible differences between the U.K. and here in the U.S.) is to place it in a double garbage bag using both rubber gloves and a shovel) and take it to the dead animal disposal section of your public refuse service. They have a pit lined with lime or other chemical especially for disposal of dead animals. I realize it's a bit of an effort, but the responsibility is, unfortunately, yours...
Many routes of human exposure to the tularemia bacteria are known to exist. The common routes include inoculation of the skin or mucous membranes with blood or tissue while handling infected animals, the bite of an infected tick, contact with fluids from infected deer flies or ticks, or handling or eating insufficiently cooked rabbit meat. Less common means of spread are drinking contaminated water, inhaling dust from contaminated soil or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals…(Source: Illinois Department of Public Health).
It's not to be taken lightly since the infection of humans can cause serious consequences.
The most sensible disposal (recognizing the possible differences between the U.K. and here in the U.S.) is to place it in a double garbage bag using both rubber gloves and a shovel) and take it to the dead animal disposal section of your public refuse service. They have a pit lined with lime or other chemical especially for disposal of dead animals. I realize it's a bit of an effort, but the responsibility is, unfortunately, yours...
Except, baldric, each one of the stats quoted by the article describes an "outbreak". Tularemia is fairly common in wild rabbits (not hares for some reason) and an "outbreak" could occur at any time… "In the United States, approximately 200 human cases are reported each year with reports from every state except Hawaii." The implication is that Rabbit Fever is more than common among rabbits themselves.
I've hunted wild Cottontails here in the U.S. since a child. My Dad taught me to watch for signs of the disease early on… most commonly in loss of hair (no pun intended) over several spots on the critter, sluggishness and, if cleaned out the liver will be mottled bright red and white as opposed to… well.. being liver colored.
A neighbors dog died and afterwards was pronounced as having tularemia… it's not to be messed with!
I've hunted wild Cottontails here in the U.S. since a child. My Dad taught me to watch for signs of the disease early on… most commonly in loss of hair (no pun intended) over several spots on the critter, sluggishness and, if cleaned out the liver will be mottled bright red and white as opposed to… well.. being liver colored.
A neighbors dog died and afterwards was pronounced as having tularemia… it's not to be messed with!
