‘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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The K5 strain of RHDV1 reduced wild rabbit numbers by 80% in the Lincoln National Park on SA’s Eyre Peninsula. For more information, see the article in the Port Lincoln Times. Photo from: Natural Resources EP
Concerted efforts at rabbit control by the Trust for Nature on their Ned’s Corner property are paying off. The Trust purchased the property west of Mildura fifteen years ago and has been targeting rabbits with a variety of control measures, including spreading RHDV-K5. Land that was once eroded by rabbits is now regenerating – more […]
The myxoma virus found in Australia has evolved to better suppress the immune system of rabbits, according to a team of Australian and American researchers. Rabbits with a weakened immune system will also be more vulnerable to other diseases. The team, led by Peter Kerr from the University of Sydney and CSIRO, concluded the myxoma […]
Plans are afoot to investigate the potential to add two parasites to the armoury in the battle against wild rabbits. Eimeria intestinalis and Eimeria flavescens are infectious rabbit parasites that have been detected in south west WA, but not anywhere else on mainland Australia. If verified this may be due to a unique rabbit introduction […]
RFA has funded a novel project to help track the spread of rabbit viruses across Australia. It is now accepted that flies are a vector for the transmission of RHDV, thanks in part to former research by Amy Ianella which was also supported by RFA. Research has also shown that flies could be used as […]