Rabbit R&D Webinar, 2024

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 […]

Backyard Bunnies

Rabbits seem to be a growing problem in urban and peri-urban areas around Australia. They cause problems ranging from raiding the veggie patch to undermining houses and sheds, and they can cause significant stress for the people affected. It is not just the physical damage they inflict but also the personal stress of having to […]

Rabbit resistance to myxo

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 […]

Feral cats, rabbits and native mice. Connections.

An entertaining Blog by ecologist John Read reveals the dedication of researchers, sheds light on how rabbits sustain feral cats and foxes resulting in hyper-predation of native fauna, and shows how tricky it can be to understand why species are where they are. Follow the link to read John’s Blog, ‘Sharing the secret. Better than […]

Heatwaves: How rabbits respond

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 […]

Post-calici: Rabbits still a problem

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 […]

Start at the bottom for landscape recovery

The continuing ecological recovery of Macquarie Island demonstrates the effectiveness of starting at the bottom of the food web to generate landscape health. An initial focus on feral cats triggered a boom in rabbit and rat populations. Eliminating rabbits, rats and mice paved the way for predator removal and triggered a revival in vegetative habitat […]

Rabbit references: Webinar resources

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. […]

Bilbies Not Bunnies

The ‘Bilbies not Bunnies’ slogan is a reminder of the harm rabbits cause and the need to control them if native plants and animals are to flourish. European wild rabbits changed Australian landscapes, removing vegetation and abetting soil erosion which was so widespread in the early 1900s that State governments introduced Soil Conservation legislation to […]

Rabbit control: Kick-start landscape recovery

A systems approach is needed to ensure threatened species survive outside of fenced sanctuaries. Rabbit control, especially when linked with cat and fox control, will be an important foundation to such efforts in many parts of Australia due to their ecosystem-wide influence.