‘Thousands’ of rabbits were spotted at a Melbourne park, highlighting the huge problem affecting two thirds of the country.
A photo of a park on the outskirts of a major Aussie city has highlighted a prolific problem costing the country $197 million a year.
Consecutive years of wet springs and summers have created “great” breeding conditions for rabbits which have seen their populations explode, according to Heidi Kleinert, recently appointed as national rabbit management coordinator at the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.
“We’re seeing them move into towns,” she told Yahoo News Australia of the massive problem.
A Melbourne resident highlighted the problem, reporting “thousands upon thousands” of the invasive pests at Braeside Park in the southeast of the city, adding that they had “never seen anything like this”. They described how the rabbits were scattered throughout the fields and bushland.
“It’s a great example of what we’re seeing across the country,” Kleinert told Yahoo, of the Melbourne photo. “We’ve had four years of wet springs and summer and great breeding conditions for rabbits, we’re seeing an increase in population.”
Invasive rabbits worse than cats and foxes
Battling explosive populations of rabbits is not a new phenomenon in Australia, with Kleinart pointing out that the pests have been present since 1859, and were able to “adapt and thrive and dominate our landscape”.
Rabbits now inhabit two-thirds of the country, meaning they impact most Australians. The reason they are so successful is due to their prolific breeding abilities. Rabbit pregnancies last around 30 days and a mother rabbit can be impregnated just hours after giving birth.
“They’re very good at what they do,” she said.
Rabbits pose so much of a threat because they disrupt ecosystems, and threaten as many as 322 native species, “twice the number threatened by cats and foxes”, according to Kleinert.
Not only do they damage soil and waterways, and compete with native animals for food and shelter, but they cost the country $197 million in lost agricultural productivity.
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Calls for every Australian to do their bit to eradicate rabbits
While it won’t be easy, Kleinert has “high hopes” that rabbits can be eradicated from Australia if communities are committed to giving it a “good go”.
The solution according to Kleinert is not “a fix-and-forget problem”. She said it’s a long-term concerted effort working alongside neighbours and government agencies, and attacking them on multiple fronts.
Centre for Invasive Species Solutions website PestSmart gives property owners the tools to plan and manage an eradication program.
“It’s really hard work,” she said. But “setting a vision and being committed” will help Aussies through the problem.
“There are lots of tools we can use to reduce the impact of rabbits to allow native species to recover,” she said. Some of those tools include baiting warrens, fumigation, and weed removal at the right time of year.
“I’d encourage everyone to get their skills and knowledge up and understand what knowledge they need to undertake a rabbit program so they don’t waste their time and money.”
