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.
Category Archives: Biological Control
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 […]
Rebounding Rangelands
Rains have triggered a native fauna recovery – thanks to RHDV.
Showcase of integrated solutions
Landholders and agencies providing a great example of integrated rabbit control.
New light on the spread of RHDV2
Nearly 4,000 blood samples from rabbits across Australia help explain the spread of RHDV2
Lab work to confront rabbits
Biological controls have been the only effective measure to suppress European wild rabbits across Australia to date, providing opportunities for subsequent control through physical measures like ripping and baiting. However the virulence of bio-controls declines over time as the control agent and rabbits evolve, so a ‘pipeline’ of new control agents is necessary to avoid […]
Working together to control feral animals
Landholders collaborate to control rabbits, cats and foxes in southern WA.
Multi-pronged approach needed for rabbit control
Rabbits are a persistent problem in many parts of Australia and require an equally persistent, multi-pronged response – that’s the message from a recent ABC News report. The ability of rabbits to breed quickly in good seasons, and the ever-changing dynamics between rabbits and biological controls, make surges in wild rabbit populations an enduring threat […]
Summer rabbits – how to respond
Early summer can result in more sightings of rabbits, especially young ones born since breeding that was stimulated by spring rainfall. The RHDV1-K5 virus has been approved for release but it doesn’t kill young rabbits – it actually provides them with life-long immunity. So now is not the time for a planned K5 release. Instead, […]
Search to begin for the next rabbit bio-control.
First there was myxomatosis, then RHDV, but what is next? Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) are funding CSIRO to search for the next potential rabbit bio-control for Australia, according to a recent announcement from the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS). The $7.7 million project aims to assess rabbit viruses from south America as potential […]