The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has approved the registration of a new RHDV K5 strain of rabbit calicivirus that will strengthen Australia’s ability to manage wild rabbits. Read more at the Minister’s Media Release. Landholders can register to be part of the national release. See PestSmart for more information.
Alice Springs based author, Kaye Kessing, explains why she is so enthusiastic in the promotion of Easter Bilby in an ABC media article.
Why Easter Bilby and ‘Bilbies not Bunnies’ are promoted – a great article by RFA Patron, Brian Cooke, in ‘The Conversation’.
Amazing increases in the distribution and occurrence of the dusky hopping mouse, plains mouse and crest-tailed mulgara have been attributed to rabbit control. RHDV suppressed rabbit numbers, reducing competition for food and the pressure from rabbit-dependent predators like cats and foxes. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12684/abstract
Great effort by students at Cowra Public School to tell about the impact of rabbits.
Planning is underway for the release in Australia of a calicvirus strain (RHDV1 K5) which is expected to perform well in cooler, wetter regions. http://http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-12/delayed-release-for-new-calici-strain/7083388?WT.mc_id=newsmail
An update on RHDV in Europe and the classification of different strains – including a ‘family tree’.PeacockD_Nov2015_RHDV2
Mike Reid presented at the 2015 RFA AGM on his role in rabbit control and RHDV Boost.ReidM_NRF_AGM2015
Rabbits change the biology of soils, as well as vegetation – and those changes may be long lasting. http://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/rabbits-leave-mark-soil-long-after-they-are-gone
A blog from Rewilding Australia provides some historic insight into the spread of rabbits and asks if there is a case for ‘rewilding’ with quolls, Tassie Devils and dingoes. Read the blog, including an historic letter, from Rewilding Australia.