Rabbits have become so feral that they are even tunnelling through graves. Source: JuneeBulletin/Facebook.
Aussies are being warned to check backyards after feral activity that’s seen shock destruction – with one state putting in an $83k fine for anyone who fails to act.
The target is a much-loved cuddly family backyard pet in many Australian states which the Invasive Species Council calls the “most destructive invader in Australia’s history” – an “ecological disaster” hammering native species and outnumbering humans dramatically 200 million to 27 million.
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The rabbit was seized by Queensland authorities and taken in by the Rabbit Sanctuary in Grafton in NSW. Picture: Nathan Edwards
Rabbits may seem cuddly and cute to play with as a pet, but they do an estimated $200 million a year.in crop and environmental damage, according to the Queensland government which has the toughest stance against the feral creatures whose population has exploded in recent years.
The Logan City Council warns “under the Biosecurity Act 2014, pet rabbits are banned in Queensland. It is an offence to keep any variety as a pet. The penalty for illegally distributing/selling, moving, keeping or feeding rabbits is $83,400 (up to 500 penalty points).”
Despite this hard line approach, average homeowners keeping them as pets elsewhere in the country may be inadvertently sabotaging the effort to keep the numbers down, With rabbits able to travel at speeds faster than an average e-scooter – about 56km per hour – and travel over 100km in a day, escaped or released pets can become an enormous problem.
Shockingly, wild rabbits now even tunnel through graves, with the Junee Bulletin reporting an infestation that sparked more than 15,000kg of baited carrots needing to be distributed to cull them.
“It’s heartbreaking. The burrows are everywhere, not just beside graves, but right into them. It’s so upsetting and honestly just disrespectful,” an upset resident told the publication. “If that was your child or your partner or your parent buried there, you would be horrified to see it.”
“These are sacred places. These aren’t 100-year-old forgotten plots, some of them are only a few decades old. This is supposed to be a place of rest and remembrance. Instead, it’s a rabbit warren.”
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Rabbits have become so feral that they are even tunnelling through gravesites, let along backyard gardens and playgrounds. Source: JuneeBulletin/Facebook.
A baiting program was undertaken to combat this outbreak. Source: JuneeBulletin/Facebook.
The Queensland Government’s tough stance against rabbits as backyard pets is backed by its claims that “a significant proportion of feral rabbits in areas around Sydney and Tweed Heads are the result of released or escaped pet rabbits”.
Homeowners in Melbourne’s southeast have told YahooNews they were already overrun by plaque proportions of rabbits on their properties in the City of Casey.
“If you drive down our street in the middle of the night you will see at least 100 rabbits in a 500m stretch,” an unidentified resident said.
Zero tolerance may soon be the only option for many states as numbers explode, with the federal government currently on the hunt for someone to take on the newly elevated role of Australian chief environmental biosecurity officer – a position at the same level as the country’s chief plant protection officer and chief veterinary officer.
The role could see greater levels of co-operation between states for collaborative action to bring rabbit numbers down before more native species die off.
Rabbits are considered cut and cuddly in some parts of the country, but are outlawed in Queensland. Picture: Annette Dew
Dr Carol Booth of the Invasive Species Council said it was ‘an important structural shift to elevate the importance of environmental biosecurity threats like bird flu, myrtle rust and fire ants within the department”.
‘Environmental invaders have already caused massive damage to Australia, degrading land and water and driving extinctions. They have been by far the leading cause of animal extinctions and new threats like murder hornets, predator snails or rock snot will drive further declines if they make it to our shores.”
Applications for the new position of Australian chief environmental biosecurity officer close on November 23.
How to check backyards for a wild rabbit problem:
Check for:
– Fresh scats.
– Fresh scratching of grass/soil.
– Vegetation chewed to 40cm from the ground.
– Burrowing or worn tracks under structures or debris piles.
– Warrens.
(Source: NSW Government)
What to do if you have a pet rabbit:
– Do not release it into the wild.
– Surrender it to your local government office.
– Surrender it to Biosecurity Queensland or your local equivalent.
– Take it to the RSPCA for possible rehoming interstate.
– Dispose of it in a legal and humane way.
(Source: Queensland Government)
Decision checklist when confronting rabbit problem. Source: NSW Government
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