Diverse genetics indicates diverse origins
Australia’s feral rabbits fall into three primary genetic lineages, with three other highly localised ones, according to a recently published research paper. The results suggest...Continue reading→
Virus immunity in young rabbits
CSIRO funded researchers have discovered why young rabbits are immune to RHDV1, but not RHDV2. It seems that young rabbits have a naturally heightened immune...Continue reading→
Learning Networks spread rabbit control
The Victorian Rabbit Action Network is running a training program to help people develop local rabbit control groups, or ‘learning networks’. Participants in the 2.5...Continue reading→
Remarkable conservation – rabbit, rodent & cat removal
Macquarie Island’s rebirth continues following the removal of rabbits, rodents and cats. Described as one of the most remarkable stories of conservation in Australia (if...Continue reading→
Killing wild rabbits conserves native mammals
Ecological modellers have shown how reducing wild rabbit numbers helps maintain small native mammals. Benefits for small mammals occur when 30-40% of rabbits are removed...Continue reading→
How to monitor Bilbies
The Martu people of the western deserts are involved in developing a bilby monitoring program, combining traditional knowledge and scientific techniques. Robust monitoring is critical...Continue reading→
Synergistic disease dynamics
Combing 17 years of field data on wild rabbit mortality and a model of rabbit populations has provided researchers with insight to the interactions between...Continue reading→
Gene drive questions
Gene drive technology (a way to spread a specific gene through a species) may have potential for feral animal control (especially in isolated pest populations),...Continue reading→
Disease synergies aid rabbit control
Exposure of rabbits to the myxoma virus renders them less likely to survive RHDV, according to a soon to be published research paper. The research,...Continue reading→
Compassionate conservation fails to conserve
An article by Peter Fleming concludes that ‘compassionate conservation’ (an approach focused on the ‘well-being of individual wild animals’) has the capacity to do harm...Continue reading→
Is the future fenced?
An article by Michael Bode highlights the importance of fox and cat control for fauna conservation,and muses about how good it would be if methods...Continue reading→
RHDV2 reduces wild rabbit numbers
Following the arrival of RHDV2, European wild rabbit numbers dropped to around 20% of the average over the preceding ten years, according to recently published...Continue reading→