A burst in rabbit numbers in many parts of Australia has been accompanied by reports of a surge in calicivirus (RHDV) and myxomatosis. Researchers monitoring both diseases are urging anyone finding a dead rabbit to provide a tissue sample to help monitor how the viruses are evolving in different regions of Australia. For more information […]
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 […]
RHDV should not be released when young rabbits are about, as they can develop life-long immunity.
Decimation of rabbits by calicivirus laid the foundation for a private sanctuary where rare species are now being reintroduced to the recovering habitat.
Rains have triggered a native fauna recovery – thanks to RHDV.
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 […]
Spotlight counts of rabbits from 116 sites across Australia, taken over 41 years, have enabled modellers to better understand what makes a ‘rabbit hotspot’ – places of high rabbit persistence. These areas are high priorities for well-timed eradication programs. The research team was able to use the survey data to test a new model of […]
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 system, but RHDV2 is able to shut down the elevated immune state – whereas RHDV1 is not. For more information, see the Research Updates in Feral Flyer Issue 350 (the […]
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 rabbit diseases – concluding that rabbits that have survived myxomatosis are more vulnerable to RHDV than those not previously infected by myxo. The researchers suggest several factors that may influence […]
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, led by Louise Barnett and assisted by RFA, shows that a combination of biological controls can have more impact than the sum of individual controls on their own. For more […]