Prepare now for RHDV1 K5

Landholders and pet rabbit owners alike are being urged to prepare for the March, 2017 release of the K5 strain of RHDV1 (calici virus), at over 600 sites across Australia. Vaccination of pet rabbits is recommended, while landholders can visit the Healthier Landscapes website for advice and tools to optimize the benefits of K5 in […]

Rabbits raid $1million of lettuces

A family of feral bunnies can eat $1 million worth of lettuce in a year, and that is why producers in the Lockyer Valley are supporting the Darling Downs Moreton Rabbit Board in a control program. For more information see the Rural Weekly interview with Dr David Berman.  

PhD opportunity. Ferals and Food Webs.

Can controlling rabbits control feral cats? The University of Tasmania is offering research opportunities in Tasmania, South Australia and New Zealand. For more information see NRM jobs.

Predator Free NZ

Plans have been announced for New Zealand to be predator free by 2050. The initial targets will be rats, possums and stoats. The news has been widely welcomed, although some have cautioned about the need for integrated programs to avoid unintended ecological changes. For more information, see Rabbit Free New Zealand.

Rabbits add pressure on snow gums

As if snow gums didn’t have enough to contend with as temperatures rise, rabbits are now an additional pressure. Ken Green of Australia’s National Parks and Wildlife Service has discovered rabbits living above the winter snowline, by grazing on the leaves of snow gums regenerating after bushfires. To learn about theories on how rabbits have […]

Phone app to help monitor rabbit disease

The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre has released an app to record sightings of diseased rabbits and to request a tissue sampling kit so the exact cause of the disease may be identified. The information generated through the app will help landholders and researchers understand where different rabbit diseases are occurring. To learn more about […]

Barking up the wrong tree – rabbits a major threat to rangeland vegetation

A recent paper in the Rangeland Journal has concluded that attempts to preserve plant biodiversity by removing livestock are destined to fail in rabbit-grazed rangelands. The paper cites studies that show little evidence of grazing-sensitive plants finding refuge in water-remote areas (sites of low grazing pressure from livestock) – while plant biodiversity gradients are readily […]

Key Facts about rabbit biocontrol

Notes about the history of rabbits and biocontrols in Australia have been uploaded to the PestSmart website. For more information see the Key Facts.

Rabbit control trials announced

The Australian Government has announced that the RHDV1 K5 virus will be released in 2017 at more than 600 trial sites across the nation. For more information, see the media release.

RFA AGM Nov 17th, 2016

The AGM for Rabbit Free Australia will be held at the Santos Conservation Centre (Adelaide Zoo) on Thursday Nov 17th, from 2:00 PM. In addition to the formalities of the Annual General Meeting, Adjunct Professor Wayne Meyer will provide an address on ‘Natural Resource Management and Rabbits’.