Banned wagon
A weekly survey of the things our rulers want to prohibit
IN one of James Thurber's short sto- ries, rabbits were blamed for starting earthquakes by beating their little hind legs against the ground. It could well have been inspired by officials at the Ministry of Agriculture. Not satisfied with having tried to exterminate the rabbit population with myxomatosis, officialdom continues to view little bun- nies as a threat to humanity.
Later this month, in a rare and wel- come piece of deregulation, dog and cat owners will regain the freedom to take their animals abroad and bring them home without having to put them in six months' quarantine. Until recent- ly rabbit owners were led to believe that their animals, too, would be included in the legislation. But when the details were unveiled rabbits were mysteriously omitted„ Even with a vaccine and a vet's certificate the animals will still have to serve six months in quarantine: no joke when your expected lifespan is only five years.
Pet rabbits, according to the ministry, are still considered a rabies threat — even though they are rarely allowed to make contact with other animals and, in any case, in the whole of Western Europe the number of animals caught with rabies is annually only around the 2,000 mark. A more likely explanation is provided by Lew Bevan, who imports rabbits and horses for a living: The dog lobby is very powerful because profes- sional breeders want to he able to breed their bitches with champion stud dogs on the Continent. Rabbit owners are poorer, and there is no strong lobby. Why rabbits should continue to need quarantine when horses have not had to do so for years is puzzling; you are far more likely to get bitten by a horse. In the business it's always been known as the rich man's treat: being able to take your racehorses abroad.'
Ross Clark
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