The PestSmart website, which provides best practice guides for rabbits and other vertebrate pests, has been revamped by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. Structured around a Plan > Manage > Improve framework, it provides a practical approach and countless resources all tailored to help land managers deal with invasive pests. As examples, for rabbits, […]
Proposals to advance pest control solutions, improve existing control methods, or develop ‘farm ready’ control tools are being sought by the Australian Government. $13 million is available through the Advancing Pest Animal and Weed Control Solutions Competitive Grant Round, which is part of the Australian Government’s Established Pest Animal and Weed Management Pipeline. Organizations that […]
Rabbit numbers in the West Australian central wheatbelt have built up to levels that damage crops and pastures, according to the Central Wheatbelt Biosecurity Association. “While that damage is hard to quantify, when you see rabbits by the hundreds at night time and even quite a few running around during the day, you know that […]
‘Rabbits have caused serious damage to habitats, vegetation and farmland throughout our region’, according to Geelong Mayor, Stephanie Asher. The Geelong Council believe controlling rabbits, to prevent further harm to habitats and land, is vital to protecting the region’s environment. They’ve released a draft Control Plan for community feedback. See the Bay939 article by Lewis […]
Long term monitoring on Macquarie Island has shown that when rabbit populations were high the probability of albatross breeding dropped by one to two thirds. The studies also revealed a web of interactions between cats, rabbits, vegetation and albatrosses. Data collected between 1995 and 2014 showed that rabbit numbers increased when feral cats were removed […]
Post-fire field conditions can be an opportunity to control wild rabbits. Warrens may be exposed, and it is timely to remove rabbits before they retard the regrowth of vegetation and influence which species recover and which don’t. The Victorian Rabbit Action Network present a guide for rabbit control in fire-affected landscapes in the Feb. 2020 […]
MacQuarie Island has been declared rabbit-free and rodent-free after a seven year eradication program. The achievement is of global significance because never before have rabbits, rats and mice all been eradicated from an island as big as MacQuarie at the same time. For more information, see the ABC News article by Laura Beavis and Linda […]
Now is the perfect time to get on to rabbit control and predator management, before it’s too late. Join Josh Rosser (SA Rabbit Control Coordinator) to discuss fox and rabbit control in a special webinar, Wed, Feb. 5th. For more information, see the Sheep Connect website.
The Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN) has been internationally acclaimed as a successful rabbit management program. Two recent social science papers describe their approach and some of the theory behind it. Key points: The Victorian Rabbit Action Network: Moved away from a top-down, regulatory (roles-based) approach. Defined rabbit management as a ‘wicked problem’ needing a […]
Over abundant rabbit populations lead to high densities of feral cats – and a correspondingly high impact of cats on native species, especially small mammals. What happens when rabbit numbers drop? Research to see if cats prey-switch (eat more small mammals) or if their numbers drop instead (not impacting native animals) has concluded that: Cat […]