Compassionate conservation fails to conserve

An article by Peter Fleming concludes that ‘compassionate conservation’ (an approach focused on the ‘well-being of individual wild animals’) has the capacity to do harm to the cause of conservation in Australia and elsewhere. Referring to the damage rabbits cause to natural ecosystems, and hence the suffering caused to other animals, Peter argues that individuals […]

Is the future fenced?

An article by Michael Bode highlights the importance of fox and cat control for fauna conservation,and muses about how good it would be if methods other than fencing could achieve that. Rabbits must also be considered – as competitors and habitat destroyers – for fauna conservation. The biological control of rabbits has benefited whole landscapes, […]

RHDV2 reduces wild rabbit numbers

Following the arrival of RHDV2, European wild rabbit numbers dropped to around 20% of the average over the preceding ten years, according to recently published survey data. The results come from two long-term monitoring sites in South Australia, in the Flinders Ranges and at Turretfield. If the two sites are representative of other areas and […]

Less rabbit baiting following RHDV

The use of poisoned oats to control wild rabbits has decreased in South Australia, following the introduction of RHDV. After RHDV spread through SA in the late 1990s rabbit numbers were reduced so much that the average demand for poison decreased by about 60-70%, and a similar picture has emerged following the arrival of RHDV2. […]

Turretfield comes up trumps

‘Rabbit histories’, tracking the mortality of over 4,000 rabbits, are now available from a long-term monitoring site at Turretfield Research Centre in South Australia. For twenty years, rabbit populations on the property have been routinely estimated and sampled, providing data that is proving useful on many fronts.Blood and tissue samples provide evidence of the incidence […]

Are bilbies hard-wired to avoid dingoes?

Bilbies may be more likely to avoid dingoes than cats, if their reaction to dog and cat faeces is anything to go by. Research by the University of NSW conducted in the Arid Recovery Reserve, SA, indicated that bilbies tend to avoid dogs as a result of co-evolution. For more information, see the article from […]

K5 taking hold in NZ

The RHDV1 K5 virus is beginning to take hold in the Otago region of New Zealand. Landholders are urged to take advantage and follow-up with secondary controls. For more information, see the article in The Country, NZ Herald. Photo: Otago Daily Times

Rabbits – Criminals of the animal world.

Rabbits and foxes are ‘criminals of the animal world’ due to their impact on native plants and animals, according to park authorities in the Australian Capital Territory. Parks and Conservation (ACT) spend over $150,000 a year on rabbit control and are hopeful that RHDV-K5 will be active this autumn and winter. For more information, see […]

Calici helps Mulgara recovery

Reduced rabbit populations since the introduction of the Calici virus are a factor in the recovery of the Crest-tailed Mulgara. Thought to be extinct in NSW, Mulgara have been found in Sturt National Park. Reductions in rabbit populations have been linked with increased ground cover, benefiting the species. For more information, see the University of […]

Myxo helps Calici virus

Wild rabbits exposed to Myxomatosis are more susceptible to RHDV (Calici virus), compared to rabbits without prior exposure. That is the conclusion of researchers looking at eighteen years of data from a continuously monitored site at Turretfield, South Australia. Dr Louise Barnett from Flinders University presented the findings at a recent annual general meeting of […]