FEARS over an outbreak of myxomatosis decimating the rabbit population of Richmond Park have been quelled by park managers.

Walkers in Richmond Park have noticed an alarming number of rabbit carcasses on the ground.

Angela Gregory, of East Sheen, regularly walks her dog near Bog Gate. She said: "I walk up there twice a day with the dog and there seems to be a fairly severe epidemic of myxomatosis because there are quite a lot of dead rabbits around.

"It's a fairly horrible disease in that they go blind and then lose the use of their limbs and the local crow population finishes them off.

"People should be told about it because it is distressing for children to see the rabbits and people with dogs should know not to take them into the area because the rabbits will not be able to run away."

A spokesman for the Royal Parks Agency said that myxomatosis had been present in the park for some time but that he was not aware of a particular problem at the moment.

He said: "Myxomatosis is naturally endemic and is present in all the rabbit populations in the UK, not just in the Royal Parks. Some years it kills more than in other years.

"As far as we can tell this isn't a particularly bad year or a particularly good year for myxomatosis.

"If we are notified about rabbit carcasses we remove them but dead rabbits are also quite good for carrion birds such as Kestrels etc.

"As myxomatosis doesn't cross species it is a good source of food for them.

"People should not worry that they are dying out all over the park because rabbits are a naturally hardy species."