Rabbit owners rush to keep pets safe

Cher Gane, 4, watches Dr Nick Purdon from Auckland's St Lukes Animalz clinic vaccinating her rabbit on Saturday. Picture / Richard Robinson

Four Animalz veterinary clinics in Auckland were inundated with pet owners and their furry rabbit friends during a special offer that reduced the cost of vaccination against calicivirus from $45 to $7 on Saturday.

The offer was part of the Auckland Regional Council's "win-win" deal before plans to boost rabbit control next month by releasing the disease in up to 30 coastal, rural and per-urban areas.

The council said the disease - formally known as Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease - is safe for other animals and is the most humane rabbit control method available.

It was illegally introduced in 1997 but is naturally widespread at present.

Pauline Taylor, who owns a number of exhibition rabbits, had 16 rabbits vaccinated.

She said they were not needle-shy and were "doing fine".