In article <4al8es$8b2 at orm.southern.co.nz>,
Brian Sandle <bsandle at southern.co.nz> wrote:
> I have recently heard Alwyn Smith of Oregon State University speaking
> about rabbit calici virus. He says that the people who say it will not
> adapt to other species are hoping that it will differ from other calici
> viruses in that respect. The other calici viruses do adapt.
>> It is being debated whether to release it in New Zealand.
>You mean "there is currently a PR damage-control exercise against the day
it inevitably gets here."
I wonder when the Aussie rabbits will start fighting back? It is never in
the interests of an infective agent to entirely eliminate its host. The
infection vs resistance war will stabilise. The rabbits will survive. The
dogs and cats will survive. The kiwis? I'm not sure.
On a slightly divergent topic: is the possum they so diligently preserve
in Oz the same animal as we diligently try to exterminate here? Or is
theirs the Irish-American species (O'possum), which I gather is a
different animal?
--
/\ | Steve Bell <ahaz at actrix.gen.nz>
___/_ \ | _ __ "The antidote to speech that disturbs
/\_ /\_\ |^, _) / you is more speech, not less."
/_ _\/_ _ \ | | (_) /__ Holly Hughes, artist.
