First there was myxomatosis, then RHDV, but what is next? Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) are funding CSIRO to search for the next potential rabbit bio-control for Australia, according to a recent announcement from the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS).
The $7.7 million project aims to assess rabbit viruses from south America as potential bio-controls, develop a tissue culture technique to more easily cultivate and test rabbit viruses, identify what is responsible for up to a third of rabbit deaths in Australia that aren’t attributed to myxomatosis or RHDV, and understand if emerging genetic control technologies could be used in Australia.
For more information, see the announcement by CISS