Vets are urging owners of pet rabbits to vaccinate them against a virus to be released in Sydney's north to kill wild rabbits.
Rabbit Calicivirus, also known as Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV), will be released in chopped carrots to spread the virus among the wild population in a bid to protect native animals and plants.
The virus will kill domestic rabbits that are not vaccinated against it, says Jayne Weller of Sydney's Animal Referral Hospital.
It spreads quickly through rabbit-to-rabbit contact and through mosquitoes and other insects that bite rabbits.
The disease damages the rabbits' internal organs, such as the liver and gut, and can also cause haemorrhage or bleeding, Dr Weller said on Friday.
"The virus is released periodically every few years in different council areas and we are seeing a marked increase in the number of affected pet rabbit cases."
Dr Weller said rabbit owners could protect their pets by bringing them inside during mosquito prone times or keeping them in an insect-proof hutch if they were outside.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service says RHDV baits will be laid around northern Sydney in late March or early April.
For best protection, vaccination is recommended prior to March 1.
