Could gene drive technology target the abundant fertility of wild rabbits in Australia, stopping them breeding and being an effective, humane rabbit biocontrol? The 2025 CISS/Rabbit-Free Australia Rabbit R&D Webinar explored that question, covering everything from the fundamentals of the science, research to develop gene drives for rabbits, dispersal and risk management, and the ongoing […]
For the latest information on rabbit control research and best practice rabbit control, register for the 2024 Rabbit R&D Webinar. The Webinar will also cover research showing how rabbits are still harming the environment. Co-hosted by Rabbit-Free Australia and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS) the free two hour Webinar will bring together leading […]
Effective rabbit control requires the planned integration of different control techniques, but a recent paper in the Journal of Pest Science by Taggart et al concluded that ‘Land managers view RHDV as a ‘silver bullet’ and release it to avoid applying more expensive but more effective control methods’. This conclusion was reached after the authors […]
A recent analysis shows that wild rabbits in Australia developed resistance to myxomavirus in a stepped manner, with the second step likely triggered by the introduction of European rabbit fleas. It poses the question of whether further changes in resistance occurred following the advent of RHDV and RHDV2, but no such studies have been undertaken […]
A future climate with more heatwaves could leave rabbits more exposed to heat stress and predators – that’s one of the insights from a recent study at Arid Recovery’s wildlife reserve in South Australia. Monitoring collars were fitted to rabbits and bilbies in the reserve to record their location and activity, and the temperature and […]
Grazing by rabbits, even at post-calici densities, can still inhibit the recruitment of palatable plant species and result in more weeds like horehound; that is one of the findings of a recent project from PhD candidate Neil Ross (UNSW). Neil studied 15 long-term grazing exclosures in the NSW and SA rangelands to understand the impact […]
The recent Rabbit R&D Update webinar was a source of great information on rabbits, bio-controls and the impact of rabbits on the environment, including sustaining feral predators. Materials from the webinar are now available: Presentations as PDFs: Brian Cooke, European rabbit fleas. Katherine Moseby, Rabbits & feral cats. Andreas Glanznig, Nationally coordinated rabbit biocontrol R&D. […]
Monitored since an introduction of calicvirus in 1996, a rabbit colony on Turretfield Research Centre (South Australia) is the longest serving, continually monitored rabbit research site in the world. Data from the site have helped deliver a better understanding of rabbit biology, the transmission and effect of bio-controls (RHDV, RHDV2 and myxomatosis), and rabbit genetics, […]
Registration is now open for the 2023 Rabbit R&D Webinar, co-hosted by Rabbit-Free Australia and CISS (Centre for Invasive Species Solutions). This year the Webinar is looking at rabbits as part of bigger systems, with a focus on bio-controls (Dr Brian Cooke) and their role in ecosystems, including interactions with feral predators (A/Prof Katherine Moseby). […]
In a global first, gene drive technology has been successfully applied to an invasive mammal. Previous applications have targeted invertebrates, like malaria-spreading mosquitoes. In this case, the technology was used to induce female infertility in mice. Gene drive technology can be precisely targeted to individual species and offers hope as a humane, toxin-free means of […]