Rabbits

Rabbits remain the most costly agricultural and environmental pest in Australia. AWI has invested in projects to gain an understanding of the status of RHD and the impact of rabbits on biodiversity and lost productivity.

From the initial control methods of the 1950s through to the introduction of RHD in the mid-nineties, the control of rabbits has been a significant, industry-wide issue.

Rabbits remain the most costly agricultural and environmental pest in Australia.

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) or Calici Virus, released in 1995 has provided significant economic and environmental gains through lower rabbit numbers and reduced grazing pressure in many areas. However, in areas where RHD has had little impact, rabbits still reduce wool and meat production.

Recent observations by landholders in some regions have reported increased rabbit populations although state agencies report no clear trends, up or down, in rabbit numbers. This might indicate rabbits have not yet developed resistance to RHD. Until now, there has been no attempt to determine if resistance to RHD is developing.

The AWI supported rabbits program, covered four projects :

1.Understand the effectiveness of RHD in reducing rabbit population since its release.
Modelling found that RHD effectiveness varies between temperate & semi arid environments. RHDv occurs mostly in summer at Bacchus Marsh (temperate), yet has a stronger impact, normally during the winter, in reducing rabbit abundance at Gum Creek (semi arid). The results suggest that there is unlikely to be a common model to describe the impact of RHD in all environments.

It was concluded established methods of control, poisoning, warren ripping and fumigation, provide the best option for value adding to RHDv.

2.Determine whether genetic resistance to RHD is emerging in the rabbit population.  
Limited experimental research has shown that rabbits have not developed such high resistance that they can withstand a high virus challenge but resistance to infection is demonstrable in some populations at a lower dose. Resistance appears to be developing most rapidly in areas where RHDv impact has been highest (sheep wheat zone).

3.Estimate the economic impact of rabbits at their current population levels.
This project developed an economic decision model which can be used as a research application or modified to regional needs, to recommend the most effective means of treating rabbits and which vegetation assets should have highest priority in terms of giving the best returns on investment.

4.Estimate the impact of rabbits on plant diversity in the pastoral and higher rainfall zones.
Results show that it takes only 1 rabbit/ha to significantly reduce the capacity for many native plant species to regenerate. It is hypothesised that losses to roadside biodiversity may well occur before rabbits reach levels where they cause noticeable economic damage to agricultural land.

A rapid survey available for download (pdf 2.72Mb) will assist producers & conservation managers determine whether rabbit control is required to protect native vegetation.

This work will guide future rabbit research and development towards advancing sustainable options for control and management of rabbits.

Foxes and feral dogs

Feral dogs maim and kill sheep, AWI has some major projects in wild dog control.

In some areas of Queensland and Western Australia, and along the Great Dividing Range in NSW/Victoria, sheep production is being significantly impacted because of the ongoing damage inflicted by feral dogs in particular.

Wild dogs are controlled primarily by baiting with sodium fluoroacetate (1080). AWI has argued strongly for the continued availability of 1080 for wild dog control because there are no good alternatives.

AWI's major projects in dog and fox control are:

• Development of a new canid (wild dogs) toxin. This is a major investment with the Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre (IACRC). The toxin under study causes a rapid and humane death and is highly specific to canids. 
• The Northern NSW DefAdditional information and useful links: monstration Site project with NSW I&I, the IACRC and local growers to demonstrate new dog control tools within landscape level control
• National Facilitation of Strategic Control with the IACRC National Facilitator, Greg Mifsud. Greg’s time is mostly spent assisting the state agencies and growers to develop local wild dog management plans
• Support for wool growers from SA, Qld, WA and NSW to participate in the National Wild Dog Management Advisory Group which monitors the National Facilitation of Strategic Control project and other research done through the IACRC or other members of the Group
• Wild Dog Issues Paper looking at the implementation of dog control from the social science perspective to develop recommendations for improved control
• Wild dog extension in WA working with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA and growers to increase the area of land included under an agreed management plan. Check the AWI events page for upcoming workshops.

AWI is looking at further investments in control tools and planning for landscape level control.

Of Interest

In a recent observation at the IACRC wild canid demonstration site in northern NSW, a single dog ate 11 fresh meat baits over a couple of hours and another dog ate 9 baits before both succumbed to 1080. This finding was presented recently to the National Wild Dog Management Advisory Group in Port Augusta SA. More details are available from Guy Ballard, Project Officer Wild dog Management, guy.ballard@industry.nsw.gov.

A Facebook group has formed a page to make people aware of the issues pastoralists and farmers have with wild dogs. For further information, please contact the administrators of the Wild Dog Control Group. Note that this Facebook group was not set up or administrated by AWI. Whilst AWI is a member of this Facebook group, any comments made by the administrators or members of this Facebook group, other than as authorised by AWI and posted using its user name “Australian Wool Innovation”, do not necessarily represent the views or policies of AWI.

NRM Notes is a newsletter from the Invasive Animals CRC designed to keep all Australian NRM regions up to date with the latest developments and current projects associated with invasive animal research including wild dog and fox research and extension. The August 2010 edition contains an update from producer workshops in WA. To subscribe to the newsletter, email the NRM liaison officer at email jessica.gibson@invasiveanimals.com. Or view all issues at
www.invasiveanimals.com/research/goals/goal-11/11t1/

You can also subscribe to a newsletter called Feral Flyer from the Invasive Animals CRC via www.invasiveanimals.com/media-centre/newsletters/.

Dingo Research Project

The February 2011 edition of the Dingo Update is now available for download (PDF 212Kb) at www.saalnrm.sa.gov.au.

The Dingo Update is a bi-monthly publication bringing you the latest news from the Dingo Research Project as well as ongoing management news. The Dingo Research Project is an initiative of the SA Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board.

In this edition:
News from South of the Fence

• Cash injection for Biteback
• Biteback rolls out across district

Please note that the Dingo Update can also be found in Across The Outback, a newsletter published every second month for the Outback SA Government and Community Alliances http://www.saalnrm.sa.gov.au/PublicationsResources/Newsletters.aspx

If you wish to subscribe to this e-mailing list contact jenny.barker@sa.gov.au

Additional information and useful links:

• Invasive Animals CRC
• 1080 Baiting Program
• NSW - NSW Environment, Climate Change & Water
• Vic - Invasive Animals
• Social Benefit Cost Analysis - Wild Dog Management in Victoria
• WA - Department of Agriculture and Food WA
• SA - Overview of Agriculture in SA
• QLD - Wild Dogs (Primary Industries & Fisheries, Queensland)
• TAS - State of the Environment Tasmania
• Guardian alpacas fact sheet (PDF 172Kb)