FERAL EUROPEAN RABBIT

(ORYCTOLAGUS CUNICULUS)
The feral European rabbit is one of the most widely distributed and abundant mammals in Australia. It
causes severe damage to the natural environment and to agriculture. Feral rabbit control is complicated
because of welfare and harvesting issues, and because both native and introduced predators feed on feral
rabbits in many parts of Australia. A combination of traditional control techniques and biological control
holds the best promise for reducing feral rabbit populations and minimising the damage they cause.

History Ecology
Domesticated rabbits arrived in Australia with the Feral rabbits can be found in many different habitats
First Fleet. The first feral rabbit population was across Australia, ranging from deserts to coastal
reported in Tasmania as early as 1827. On the plains wherever there is suitable soil for digging
mainland, Thomas Austin freed about a dozen on warrens. They are scarce in areas with clay soils
his property near Geelong, Victoria, in 1859. They and abundant where soils are deep and sandy,
reached the Queensland New South Wales border such as in the north-east of South Australia. In
by 1886 and covered most of their present range arid areas, feral rabbits need access to water, but
by 1910. This was despite the Western Australian elsewhere they can often obtain enough moisture
Governments 1700 kilometre rabbit-proof fence, from their food.
built between 1901 and 1907.
Feral rabbits are night-time grazers, preferring
Today, feral rabbits occur throughout Australia, green grass and herbs. They also dig below
except in the northernmost areas. grasses to reach roots and seeds. During the
breeding season, feral rabbits form territorial groups
made up of one to three males with up to seven
females, led by a dominant pair. After breeding, the
groups break up again, except for the dominant pair.
Feral rabbits can breed from the age of four months,
and can do so at any time of the year, particularly
when food is in good supply. In favourable
conditions, they can produce five or more litters in
a year, with four or five young in each litter. Even in
unfavourable conditions, they can produce one or
two litters a year.

environment.gov.au
 Distribution of feral european rabbits in Australia

Sources: National Land & Water Resources Audit (2008) Assessing invasive animals in Australia 2008, NLWRA,
Canberra./SEWPaC (2010) Feral animals on offshore islands database located at
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/islands/

Impact Feral rabbits may have caused the extinction of

several small (up to 5.5kilograms) ground-dwelling
Feral rabbits compete with native wildlife, damage mammals of Australias arid lands, and have
vegetation and degrade the land. They ringbark contributed to the decline in numbers of many
trees and shrubs, and prevent regeneration by native plants and animals.
eating seeds and seedlings. Their impact often
increases during drought and immediately after a In the Norfolk Island group, feral rabbits and goats
fire, when food is scarce and they eat whatever they reduced Philip Island to bedrock, leaving at least
can. two plants locally extinct. Feral rabbits even
threaten colonies of seabirds such as Goulds
petrel.

environment.gov.au
Control
Effective rabbit control requires integration of
different methods; any single technique used
in isolation is less effective than two or more
techniques carefully combined. When reliance is
placed on only one technique and follow-up control
is not implemented, initial gains are lost as rabbits
will readily recolonise in the absence of further
control.
Current techniques available for controlling rabbits
can be categorised broadly as biological, chemical
and mechanical. Biological control for rabbits has
been particularly effective.
Biological controls include the myxoma virus
causing the disease myxomatosis, which only
affects rabbits. Released in 1950, the virus initially
killed over 90per cent of feral rabbits that caught Rabbits reduced Phillip Island, NSW, to a wasteland
the disease, but some developed resistance, (top) but recovery was spectacular after the rabbits were
eradicated (bottom photo) (SEWPaC).
making the pathogen less effective. However, the
myxomatosis disease still keeps populations to an
average of fiveper cent of former population sizes Destruction of warrens and above-ground harbours
in wetter areas, and 25per cent in arid areas. is the most widely used mechanical method for
The other important biological control is the rabbit rabbit control. Warren ripping can be a cost-
calicivirus disease (rabbit haemorrhagic disease effective and efficient method for suppressing rabbit
virus) which has proved more effective in wetter numbers and inhibiting reinvasion of the treated
parts of the country than in drier regions. Australia area, because it deprives rabbits of a safe place
currently has only one strain of calicivirus which for breeding. Other methods used less widely
is relatively stable and rabbits are developing are fencing, shooting, trapping and explosives to
genetic resistance to infection. Research is being destroy warrens.
undertaken to identify new field strains to release in Researchers are also looking at ways to improve
Australia. traditional feral rabbit control techniques, and to
The main chemical control used for rabbits is the ensure that control is applied in a strategic way that
poison; sodium flouroacetate (1080) an effective achieves targeted, sustained results.
toxin providing a high mortality rate of up to 90per There is a community expectation that all animals,
cent. Pressure fumigation or diffusion fumigation including pests are to be treated humanely.
using toxins like chloropicrin and carbon monoxide Therefore, animal welfare issues must be an
are used to kill rabbits while they are in their important consideration when planning rabbit
warrens. control operations.

environment.gov.au
How the Australian Government is enables the best use of the resources available
dealing with a national problem for feral rabbit management. The Australian
Government works with the states and territories to
Competition and land degradation by feral rabbits
deal with this national problem.
is listed as a key threatening process under the
Commonwealth Environment Protection and More information about the threat abatement plan
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). can be found at: http://www.environment.gov.au/
Under the EPBC Act, the Australian Government, biodiversity/threatened/publications/tap/rabbits08.
in consultation with the states and territories, html
has developed the Threat Abatement Plan for Caring for our Country
Competition and Land Degradation by Rabbits.
The Australian Governments Caring for our Country
The threat abatement plan aims to reduce the
Business Plan 2009-10 identified reducing the
impact of feral rabbits on biodiversity by:
impact of rabbits as one of the priority areas for
preventing rabbits from occupying new areas investment.
in Australia and eradicate rabbits from high-
conservation-value islands Invasive species are eligible for funding as an
promoting the maintenance and recovery of integrated component of a number of the key
native species and ecological communities targets under the Caring for our Country initiative.
that are affected by rabbit competition and land The Australian Government, through Caring for our
degradation Country, is providing a strong framework in which
improving knowledge and understanding of rabbit invasive species management will be addressed
impacts and interactions with other species and as an important component of landscape-scale
other ecological processes management, and consistent with existing national
improving the effectiveness, target specificity, arrangements for dealing with invasive species.
integration and humaneness of control options for
rabbits, and For further information, contact:
increasing awareness of all stakeholders of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
objectives and actions of the threat abatement Population and Communities
plan, and of the need to control and manage
rabbits. GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Feral rabbit control programs need to be
Phone: 1800 803 772
coordinated with other activities taking place,
Web site: http://www.environment.gov.au/
including the on-ground protection of threatened
biodiversity/invasive/index.html
plants and animals and control of other invasive
species, such as feral cats and foxes. The threat InvasiveSpecies@environment.gov.au
abatement plan provides a national framework that

Photo credits in order: Illustration of rabbit (Karina Hansen McInnes), Pair of rabbits (Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre),
Rabbit in burrow (Brian Cooke, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre), Single rabbit (Brian Cooke, Invasive Animals
Cooperative Research Centre), Rabbit (Brian Cooke, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre), Rabbit (Invasive Animals
Cooperative Research Centre).
BIO53.0610

Commonwealth of Australia 2011

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The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the
Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.