Rabbits were introduced to Australia in the 1800s by British settlers for food and hunting. A man named Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits on his property which then rapidly expanded across the country. By 1900, rabbits had reached all states and caused significant environmental damage by overgrazing vegetation and preventing regeneration. Their populations were controlled through methods such as fumigation and diseases like myxomatosis, but rabbits remained a major pest. Further extermination efforts are needed to eradicate feral rabbits in Australia.

1. The Rabbit
By Teriri Walker Dale

2. Rabbits were first introduced to Australia when the Europeans arrived
on the first fleet.
Rabbits were introduced to Australia for two main purposes; for human
consumption and for hunting.
A man named Thomas Austin who was an avid hunter, released 24 wild
rabbits onto his property in Victoria in 1859 to use for hunting. This small
amount then exploded to cover Victoria and New South Wales. By 1900,
the rabbits reached the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
That’s when it all started to get hairy...

3. Feral rabbits are a problem because they compete with native
wildlife and Livestock for food, damage vegetation and degrade
the land,They ring bark trees and shrubs, and prevent
regeneration by eating seeds and seedlings.
Their impact often increases during drought and immediately
after a fire, when food is scarce and they eat whatever they can.
They are also a source of food for other unwanted feral animals
such as cats, foxes and dogs.

4. Numerous things are being done to control feral rabbit
populations such as the fumigation of warrens, fencing,
destruction of warren systems and shooting.
In the past, rabbit populations have been reduced enormously
by introduced diseases such as Myxomatosis which initially
wiped out 95-100% of rabbits in some areas, However rabbits
recovered and became somewhat immune to it, so other viruses
were introduced such as rabbit haemorrhagic disease (HCD)
which was formerly known as Rabbit calicivirus..

5. Since the rabbits were first introduced to
Australia, they have caused a huge amount of
damage to the land and have earned themselves
the reputation of being one of Australia’s most
notorious pests.
Further extermination will hopefully result in the
eradication of most if not all feral rabbits living in
Australia.

6. ACTA (2012). ‘Rabbit Problems in Australia’.[Internet]. Website available from:
http://www.animalcontrol.com.au/rabbit.htm [accessed 28 February 2013]
Environment and Heritage (2011) ‘Rabbits’ [Internet]. Website available from:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/pestsweeds/Rabbits.htm [accessed 28 February 2013]