The Biological Control of Rabbits

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The biological control of Rabbits in New Zealand Rabbits were introduced into New Zealand for the "sport" of hunting, in the 1830’s. They were also introduced as an extra food source for the English settlers. The females produce about twenty to thirty offspring each year and they take advantage of the good seasons when more food is available to breed productively. They probably came into the country from New South Wales in Australia, almost certainly before 1838. Rabbits in drier parts of New Zealand can adapt to their environment by absorbing nutrients during the intense droughts over a long period of time, resulting a high survival rates of offspring. Rabbits had a serious impact, both economically and ecologically in New Zealand. The economic impact of the species was the introduction of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), previously called rabbit calicivirus disease (RCD) into New Zealand in 1997. A pest is “an organisms (rats, insects, etc.) which may cause illness or damage or consume food crops and other materials important to humans. An organism that is considered a nuisance to man.” The rabbit is a perfect example of a pest, as it is known to graze the hillsides, stripping them of their covering and leaving no vegetation to hold the soil when there were heavy rains in winter. Rabbits are responsible for reducing the amount of farm stock. Many farmers lost their sheep due to starvation as the rabbits increased (a dozen rabbits eat as much as one sheep). Rabbits are also blamed for damaging lawns, vegetable gardens, small trees and shrubs. New Zealand used to rely on mechanical methods such as shooting, trapping and netting fences and also digging out burrows. Netting fences were used to keep rabbits out which were very expensive to do, but can be used to prevent re-infection in some areas. Although, only shooting rabbits is not an effective control

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