Island rabbit cull bird deaths

FEWER than 30 of the 150,000 rabbits that once infested Macquarie Island are still alive after a joint state-federal eradication program.

A Senate estimates committee heard yesterday that a $30 million program of baiting, shooting and detector dogs had resulted in the almost complete eradication of rabbits from the World Heritage-listed sub-Antarctic island 1500km south of Hobart.

The rabbits and introduced rats and mice had a devastating effect on wildlife on the island by overgrazing native vegetation, which in turn affected nesting sites.

Their numbers boomed after a cat eradication program on the island.

Liberal senator Eric Abetz said the deaths of 2190 sea birds during the three-year program was a disaster.

"This is a complete debacle which just goes from bad to worse," he said after the hearing.

"The collateral damage seems worse than the problem the Government was seeking to eradicate."

Senator Abetz said the real number of deaths was much higher.

While 2190 bird carcasses had been discovered on Macquarie Island, more had probably died at sea.

Premier Lara Giddings said the rabbit eradication program was necessary to protect the island's bird life.

"Nobody wants to see wildlife hurt or damaged by programs. However, what is Eric Abetz's alternative?' she said.

"Those same birds, the same wildlife, were absolutely threatened by the destruction of the natural habitat on Macquarie Island because of rabbit grazing."

Environment Minister Tony Burke said the bird deaths were inevitable.

"When you do baiting, the fact is you will lose some of the birds you are wanting to protect," he said.

"But if you don't do baiting, feral animals like rabbits and rodents will keep wiping everything out."

Mr Burke said up to 24 bird species ultimately stood to benefit from the eradication program.

From here.

Big rabbit kill, but warnings remain

The rabbit-killing virus RHD has this year in Otago taken its biggest toll on the animal in at least five years.

Its effectiveness during the past summer has puzzled the industry because the Otago Regional Council's two-yearly tests for the disease's presence in Otago show high levels of immunity to the virus.

Test results show the average immunity across the 10 sites was 68%, similar to 2009 levels, council regional services technical field adviser Don Robson says in a report to be presented to its regulatory committee tomorrow.

"Interpreting this year's serum results has been difficult, with most monitoring sites showing high immunity levels, yet the virus has been the most effective and widespread for many years."

The virus displayed its greatest activity in the Alexandra basin, Ida Valley, Upper Clutha and Strath Taieri.

"In fact, most of Otago appears to have received the benefits of good kills from the virus."

As well as good death rates, observations showed deaths due to the virus continued to occur longer than normal, which meant the antibodies were still present during testing - unlike in other years.

"This observation clearly indicates high immunity levels do not necessarily mean the virus is no longer effective.""Exceptional" conditions in Central Otago had seen grass growth throughout most of summer because of frequent rain, which meant more young rabbits survived, he said. It also meant more flies, which were thought to be an important vector of the virus.

Full article here.

Wildlife refuge no more for pests

Helicopters have worked through sub-Antarctic winter weather to twice saturate the 13,000-hectare wildlife refuge with poison baits targeted at rabbits, rats and mice. Now dogs are mopping up remnants.

The $25 million federal-state project had to overcome setbacks including abandonment of its first round of bait-laying flights last winter, and the unintended poisoning of hundreds of seabirds. Now rewards are flowing as grasses and other flora sprout through the cold.

Read more here.

Deadly Rabbit Disease May Have Doomed Iberian Lynx

The 1988 arrival of viral hemorrhagic disease (VHD) in Spain devastated that country's European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) population and, in the process, possibly doomed the local species most adapted to hunt rabbit, the Iberian lynx(Lynx pardinus).

The wildcat is now critically endangered, with an estimated 100 to 200 animals remaining in the wild. That makes them the world's most endangered feline species. The species numbered 4,000 animals in 1960.

One of the few areas where Iberian lynx still reside is Spain's Doñana National Park. According to research published in the March 2011 issue of Basic and Applied Ecology, the lynx was the only predator in the park not able to adapt to eating other prey when the rabbit population crashed.


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Peter Rabbit on the hunt

VETERAN rabbit shooter Peter Golden says the lure of the bunny gets in your blood and just won't go away, writes SARAH HUDSON

They call him Peter Rabbit.

And not because he bears any resemblance to the children's book character.

While his parents may have christened him Peter Golden, to the folk around central Victoria he's simply Peter Rabbit.

What else do you call one of the state's oldest continual rabbit shooters, one who targets wild rabbits that are on-sold to markets and high-end restaurants?

"They think I come out of a Noddy book or something," Peter says.

"Bob Hart (Herald Sun food critic) came up to the Redesdale Hotel and had rabbit pie. He wrote that the local game supplier was Peter Rabbit.

"It's just stuck. Everyone knows me as that now."

Given he's been in the trade for 35 years, Peter's pedigree is a substantial one, having seen major changes in the industry, not least the demand for the product itself.

"Rabbits aren't a poor-man's tucker any more. Restaurants are lapping them up and I'd have no trouble selling more," he says.

Read full story here.

Carrots the poison chalice for pesky Bonbeach rabbits

POISONED carrots will be used to cull feral rabbits wreaking havoc along fragile Bonbeach foreshore.

Wet conditions have created the perfect breeding ground for bunnies and the increased numbers are taking their toll on the sensitive dunes from The Glade to Patterson River.

Kingston Mayor Ron Brownlees said rabbits were a serious pest, causing erosion, spreading weeds and threatening plant diversity.

“Rabbit warrens cause the ground to become unstable and increase erosion, while the rabbits compete with native animals, such as possums and reptiles, for food and habitat,” Cr Brownlees said.

“Furthermore, rabbits attract foxes and they pose an even greater threat to native wildlife.”

Contractors will lay baited carrots and fumigate warrens over the next two months.

Cr Brownlees said domestic animals would need to consume large quantities to cause illness, but recommended owners keep pets off the foreshore for the next month.

“This is the safest, industry-best practice approach,” he said.

“The bait is slow-acting, so owners will have sufficient time to treat pets that did display signs of poisoning.”

Sourced from here.