Myxo still active
Current strains of myxomatosis are far more virulent than that released in 1950, but rabbits have increased resistance as well. Nonetheless, myxo is still important for rabbit control in Australia.
Category Archives: Articles & Documentaries
Rabbit-Free Webinar videos
Videos presentations on the environmental and economic impact of rabbits, the latest research on how RHDV is working, and Easter Bilby as an advocate for rabbit control, are now available. The presentations are from a recent webinar co-convened by Rabbit-Free Australia and Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS). The videos are available via CISS and […]
Wild Deserts rebounding
The eradication of ‘every last rabbit, cat and fox’ provided the foundation for the reintroduction of native animals to Sturt National Park, in NW NSW. Two reserve areas, totaling 40 sq kms, are now supporting populations of greater bilbies, crest-tailed mulgara and Shark Bay bandicoots, after they disappeared from the area over 100 years ago. […]
Latest Newsletter
The February 2022 Rabbit-Free Newsletter is now available at the website’s Member’s Lounge. Guests are welcome. Everything from the Annual Report, Gene Drive technology, rabbit ecology and member profiles, to a story about a chef turned rabbit-controller. See Newsletters in the Member’s Lounge.
Unholy trinity – rabbits, cats and foxes
In a recent contribution to The Conversation, Associate Professor Katherine Moseby (UNSW) refers to rabbits, cats and foxes as an unholy trinity. Rabbits competed with native mammals for food and became food themselves for cats and foxes – inflating predator numbers and adding to the predation of native mammals. Katherine has over 25 years of […]
Overabundant herbivores. How they affect plant communities.
Herbivores are considered overabundant when they cause observable harm to a plant community. A framework for thinking about and recording overabundance is presented by John Morgan in a special issue of Ecological Management and Restoration. The focus of this work is on overabundant macropods (wallabies and kangaroos), but the concepts are equally relevant to understanding […]
Rabbit Bio-Control. A massive boost to the environment.
Rabbits wrought untold damage to Australian landscapes, but rabbit bio-controls have been incredibly successful in triggering environmental recovery across massive areas of Australia.
Rabbits – Ecosystem engineers
Rabbits change entire ecosystems from the bottom up, and a couple of recent articles provide great examples of this, demonstrating how interconnected our environment is. It all starts with rabbits eating native vegetation; often very selectively taking out seedlings of the tastiest species. They are so good at this that they can completely prevent the […]
Environmental recovery, on a rabbit-free foundation
Decimation of rabbits by calicivirus laid the foundation for a private sanctuary where rare species are now being reintroduced to the recovering habitat.
Wildlife recovery rides on pest control
Wildlife re-introductions to managed reserves help demonstrate what the environment was like before rabbits and feral predators were introduced to Australia. They are signposts to how we might meet the even bigger challenge of replicating that success in much larger unfenced areas.