What are others' priorities for rabbit control?

Table of Contents

1. Agriculture Victoria

2. Victorian Rabbit Action Network

3. Pestsmart - Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS

3.1 Pestsmart - How to rapidly assess a rabbit problem

4. Foundation for rabbit free Australia (RFA) - South Australia 

 1. AGRICULTURE VICTORIA

Rabbits (feral or wild) are declared as established pest animals in the state of Victoria under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-animals/established-pest-animal-species/european-rabbit

• Effective rabbit control requires an integrated approach using a combination of control measures (not just one).
• It is also important to work with your neighbors (making teams with everyone involved in local properties) rather than individual properties.
• A single pair of rabbits can lead to re-infestation that may undermine your control work and investment.
• Be aware, native wildlife may also be using rabbit harbour. Ensure your rabbit control program doesn't affect them.

Source: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-animals/invasive-animal-management/integrated-rabbit-control

2.  VICTORIAN RABBIT ACTION NETWORK (VRAN)
       - RABBIT MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 

“Overcoming rabbits is not impossible it just takes persistence, dedication and community-led effort”. https://vran.com.au/rabbit-management/ 

• RABBITS THREATEN OUR ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. 
• Under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994, rabbits are a declared pest animal therefore all landholders have a responsibility to prevent their spread.

 BEST PRACTICE RABBIT MANAGEMENT 

According to VRAN the best practice rabbit management uses integrated and proven methods that are applied in the correct sequence in the right seasonal conditions. They have research and proven different methods for about 20 years of experience monitoring sites across Victoria.

Rabbit control cycle:

“Utilise seasonal variations to your advantage and follow recommended control methods. Lastly, evaluate any new activity and adjust accordingly” https://vran.com.au/rabbit-management/.

STEP 1 - BAITING (SUMMER: JANUARY)

Once you have a thorough understanding of the rabbit density, where the warrens and feeding zones are on your property – you can apply either 1080 or Pindone baits within 25m of the burrows to ensure the entire rabbit population is exposed to the baits. https://vran.com.au/vran-resources/best-practice-rabbit-management-step-1-baiting/  

Here are the key points to consider when implementing a baiting program:

• Always apply bait according to manufacturer’s instructions and with the appropriate chemical use permits.
• Bait (cut carrots/oats) is most commonly laid into a trail, firstly as free feed and later as poisoned bait. The freshly turned earth also attracts rabbits to the trail.
• Using free-feeds (unpoisoned baits) before baiting will help you calculate the amount of poison feed required and may help increase uptake of poisoned baits.
• Check free-feed, or poison bait each day to assess the amount of bait taken. If all bait is eaten increase the baiting rate. If excess bait remains, reduce the baiting rate (Only 1 poison feed is used in 1080 baiting programs).
• It is essential to use good quality bait material.
• Feeding at dusk ensures baits don’t dry out in the sun and reduces potential harm non-target animals.
• Make sure rabbits can feed undisturbed on your free-feed bait or poison bait (do not shoot or hunt during baiting).
• Keep livestock, dogs and other animals away from baits and poisoned carcasses to reduce the chance of non-target poisoning.
• On each day of the control program, the baited area and surrounding areas must be thoroughly searched for dead rabbits.
• Carcasses must be collected and properly disposed of to lessen the risk to non-target species as per the product label.
• Uneaten poison bait should also removed and disposed of as per the product label.
• Pre-mixed Pindone or 1080 perishable carrot baits can be ordered from some pest control contractors and farm suppliers.
• Bait laying equipment for a poisoning program can be obtained or hired from most Landcare groups, some equipment hire firms and some pest control contractors.

STEP 2 - WARREN DESTRUCTION OR RIPPING (AUTUM: MARCH)

Warren destruction (commonly known as ripping) is used after the initial knockdown of feral rabbits has been achieved through baiting, to ensure any remaining rabbits don’t have a place to shelter or breed successfully. https://vran.com.au/vran-resources/best-practice-rabbit-management-step-2-ripping/

Note 1: digging warrens out with a shovel, mattock or pick is labour intensive and not as effective compared to mechanical ripping.

Note 2: Following the program, the site should be re-vegetated with appropriate vegetation as soon as possible

Source: https://vran.com.au/vran-resources/best-practice-rabbit-management-step-2-ripping/ 

 STEP 3 - FUMIGATION (AUTUM: APRIL THROUGH AUGUST)

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.

NOTE: Remember all fumigants are Schedule 7 poisons therefore an Agricultural Chemical Users Permit (ACUP) is required to purchase them. Schedule 7 poisons can only be used by holder of an ACUP or under the direct supervision of an ACUP holder.

 ** Detailed instructions for conducting fumigation can be found on the product label and must be adhered to at all times and you must also wear appropriate personal protective equipment as specified on the product label**

Fumigation can be carried out at any time of year, but it has the greatest long-term effect if done shortly before the commencement of the rabbit breeding season.

Here are key steps to implementing a successful fumigation program:

• Ensure rabbits are in the warren. Fumigation will only be effective on those rabbits that are in the warren when it is fumigated. Use dogs to roam the area to flush rabbits into the warrens prior to fumigation.
• Find all the entrances. Use a smoking device to locate and mark all entrances to the warren, these machines can often be hired from your local Landcare group.
• Clear the entrances. Cut the entrance back using a shovel to get easy access to the warren entrance and ensure effective fumigation. Find the shallow openings to the burrows, (the ones that usually cave in when you stand on them) and then dig the openings back to solid ground. This helps seal the warren during fumigation and reduces the chance of the rabbits escaping after treatment.
• Apply fumigant to each entrance as per product label.
• Seal the entrance with soil that will help prevent rabbits digging in or out. Compact and flatten the soil to reduce the likelihood of re-opening but be careful not to cover the fumigant tablet with soil.
• Regularly check all warrens and re-treat any openings immediately.

Source: https://vran.com.au/vran-resources/best-practice-rabbit-management-step-3-fumigation/

3. PESTSMART - CENTRE FOR INVASIVE SPECIES SOLUTIONS (CISS). Pestsmart Rabbit Booklet.

Removing rabbits

Where rabbits are damaging vegetation, and action to reduce their impact is needed, it is important to remember that the ‘cure should not be worse than the disease’. Where rabbits are living amongst thick remnant native vegetation, the control methods chosen should not irreparably damage trees, shrubs and native herbage.

Several different methods of control often need to be combined to achieve the best results among roadside vegetation:

• poison in summer or autumn to eliminate most rabbits.

• destroy readily accessible warrens by ripping with a suitable small tractor or back-hoe, preferably while soil remains dry.

• fumigate inaccessible rabbit holes and any that re-open after ripping.

This combination of techniques means more work and initial expense, but the low costs of keeping rabbits down in subsequent years quickly brings accumulated costs below those of repeated annual treatments. Treating re-opened rabbit holes by fumigation ‘on the spot’ during annual inspections will keep costs down and ensure that rabbits do not regain damaging numbers.

PESTSMART, also recommends the use of rabbitscan app: RABBITSCAN is a free resource for landholders, community groups and pest controllers, to record and map rabbit activity, warrens, damage, and control activities in their local area. RabbitScan can also be used to record evidence of rabbit disease, such as RHDV.

Use RabbitScan to:

• record hot-spots of rabbit activity (such as rabbit warrens),
• problems caused by rabbits (such as soil erosion), and
• all your control efforts (such as warren destruction).

You can then use this information to plan and manage rabbits to reduce the problems they cause.

short tutorial for further advice on how to effectively use RabbitScan

https://youtu.be/RhFwC0jGbpo?si=rCCDQhiFr6nW942l

Bellarine Peninsula by Rabbit Scan Map is showing like below: 

https://www.feralscan.org.au/rabbitscan/map.aspx 

How to use the website & Information you can enter https://www.feralscan.org.au/rabbitscan/pagecontent.aspx?page=rabbit_howtousethewebsite 

RabbitScan is a purpose-built community website and App for recording:

• Rabbit activity
• Warrens
• Damage 
• Control activities.

3.1 "HOW TO RAPIDLY ASSESS A RABBIT PROBLEM AND TAKE ACTION" Pestsmart Rabbit Booklet.

Management Resources of European rabbits Control, based on the booklet: “Rabbits: A threat to conservation & natural resource management. How to rapidly assess a rabbit problem and take action” https://pestsmart.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/06/BRS_Rabbit_Booklet_lr.pdf

In some instances rabbits may have eaten all of the seedlings but the severity of grazing can still be ranked at ‘5’ from the presence of a distinct ‘browse-line’ 500 millimetres above the ground on older saplings or mature shrubs with lower foliage within reach of the rabbits. Credits: Pestsmart Rabbit Booklet.(See figure below). 

Absence of small seedlings and a distinct “browse-line” 500 millimetres above the ground on older saplings indicates severe rabbit impact (Damage score= 5). Source: Pestsmart Rabbit Booklet.

If your assessment falls within the green zone, rabbits are not having a significant impact on native vegetation regeneration. The yellow zones indicate where rabbits should be watched more closely and the red zone indicates that rabbits must be controlled to avoid serious biodiversity losses. 

 Source: Information, images and tables by: Pestsmart Rabbit Booklet.

4.  FOUNDATION FOR RABBIT FREE AUSTRALIA (RFA) - South Australia https://rabbitfreeaustralia.org.au

• The European wild rabbit is Australia’s worst vertebrate pest, being widespread and destructive to natural environments and primary production.
• Rabbits adversely affect over 300 threatened native species, change landscapes, and cause losses of over $200 million a year to agricultural production.

** RFA provides a small document with key principles and processes involved in rabbit control [https://rabbitfreeaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Keys-2-Rabbit-Control_Info-Sheet_FINAL-2024.pdf]

Use a mix of techniques

A key to effective rabbit control is using a mix of techniques in a staged program that is:

• well timed (e.g. taking advantage of low rabbit numbers) and

• well sequenced (e.g. starting with a method suited to a broad scale, then progressively using methods suited to smaller areas or sites with fewer rabbits).

A series of controls that build upon each other optimise the efficiency, effectiveness and legacy of rabbit control work, while reducing the risk of building immunity to biocontrols in rabbit populations.

When possible, a 3-step control program is recommended: 

 Planning

Planning is a key to getting rabbit control methods, timing and sequencing right for long-lasting benefit. If rabbit control is done poorly, at the wrong time, or out of sequence, it will be ineffective and leave a persistent problem requiring renewed effort. 

Plan: 

Decide what scale you will work at, whether to work with neighbours across boundaries, and whether you’ll tackle other pest animals (e.g. feral cats) or weeds (e.g. thickets providing rabbit harbour), then develop your plan. Be clear on your objective and choose the control techniques that suit your situation. Work out what you’ll do where and when – and how you’ll keep track of progress and outcomes. 

Assess: 

Start by being clear about the problems caused by rabbits and focus on how to rectify them. It will require information on where they are feeding, where they breed, and any triggers that have caused an increase in their numbers or the harm they inflict.

Manage: 

Put your plan into effect and keep records as you go, including before, during and after photos. Check how well every action has been done and how effective it has been – and immediately redo any aspects that weren’t as effective as required, e.g. dealing with any missed warrens or stray rabbits that survived. 

Improve: Aim for continual improvement in your rabbit control program. Regularly review progress and effectiveness and whether the rabbit damage that initiated your actions has been resolved or not. Learn from experience and don’t be afraid to try new approaches when needed. 

To take into consideration...