European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are a serious invasive pest in Australia. Rabbits cause millions of dollars in damage to crops annually and, even at very low numbers, cause major impacts to the natural environment.

Once established in rural areas rabbits can cause extensive damage to crops, pastures and native vegetation and are difficult to control, requiring constant landholder action to manage. Rabbits construct burrows that enable them to survive a wide range of environmental conditions. They adapt to a wide range of food types and their ability to graze plants to ground level contributes to the enormous damage they cause. It is the legal responsibility of the land owner to control rabbits on their property, and penalties can be imposed for failing to do so under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004.

In 1859 when Thomas Austin released 24 wild rabbits on his Geelong property, he could not have foreseen that they would breed so prolifically and spread across the southern parts of the continent. Each year rabbits cause an estimated $600 million worth of damage to agriculture. They also cause serious erosion problems, prevent native vegetation from regenerating, attack domestic gardens and undermine farm sheds and other buildings.

In WA European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are declared pests of agriculture under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 and as such, landholders are required to control rabbits on their properties. Even landholders not growing crops are still legally obliged to control rabbits to protect their neighbours’ land from the impact of rabbits.

Rabbits, foxes and feral pigs pose a major threat to our environment and agricultural production.

This video series describes why pest control programs are important in Victoria and introduces you to how collaborating with neighbours and using a variety of strategic control methods can turn this threat around.

Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. This video shows how to fumigate rabbit warrens following baiting and ripping to help control populations on your property. This video is Part 4 of a five-part series: Rabbit control in Victoria, Rabbit control in Victoria - baiting, Rabbit control in Victoria - ripping, Rabbit control in Victoria - fumigation, Supplementary Rabbit control options in Victoria

Pests are animals causing harm or significant disturbance in areas where they are not wanted. They often have the ability to flourish if left unmanaged in suitable environments. Physical, chemical and biological control options are available to variously cull, inhibit breeding or exclude pests from priority areas. It is rare that a single control measure will be completely successful. Even very effective biological controls require support from additional control measures.

Fumigation is the method you use following bating and ripping, after the burrows have been destroyed and rabbit numbers are reduced, to ensure your program is keeping rabbit numbers down.

Aluminium phosphide is the most commonly used fumigant — it comes in a tablet form and releases poisonous phosphine gas when activated by moisture.

This article is from the Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4.

Attack the rabbit at home . . .

DESTROY WARRENS AND HARBOURAGE

Effective rabbit destruction often calls for a carefully worked out control programme consisting of poisoning, fumigating and warren and harbourage destruction. Possibly the most effective means of not only controlling rabbits but ultimately eradicating them from holdings is the destruction of warrens and harbourage.

The first step in adaptive pest management is to define the problem and understand as much as possible about the pest. Analysis of rabbit problems is aided by data on:

• Their impact – signs of rabbit damage.
• Their distribution and abundance – where rabbits are found and, especially, where their warrens are. Warrens are crucial to rabbit breeding and therefore a key to their control. Knowing where they feed can help if baiting will be part of the control program.