A BURST in rabbit numbers in many parts of Australia has been accompanied by reports of a surge in rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (calicivirus) and myxomatosis. 

Researchers monitoring both diseases are urging anyone who finds a dead rabbit to provide a tissue sample to help monitor how the viruses are evolving in different regions of Australia. 

Rabbit Free Australia chair Wayne Meyer said land managers could be of tremendous assistance in the fight to stay ahead of rabbits. 

“By reporting sightings of rabbits and submitting tissue samples they help track the distribution of rabbits and biocontrols and enable us to continually scan for emergent strains of viruses that may prove superior to those now in general circulation,” he said. 

Related research projects are being conducted by Dr Kandarp Patel from the University of Adelaide, who is examining myxomatosis, and Nina Huang of CSIRO, who is examining RHDV. 

Anyone finding a dead rabbit can order a tissue sampling kit direct from CSIRO and report the find using RabbitScan. 

Different sampling kits and tissue samples are required for RHDV and myxomatosis. RHDV testing uses liver samples, while myxomatosis uses eyelids. 

CSIRO senior research scientist Ina Smith said rabbit carcases usually had tell-tale signs of cause of death. 

“RHDV often results in rabbits dying suddenly with some rabbits found to still have food in their mouth at the time of death, while myxomatosis results in ulcer-like lesions to the face,” she said. 

“If people are unsure what may have caused a rabbit death, they can obtain both sampling kits from the CSIRO.” 

Mr Meyer said Euro pean wild rabbits were found throughout the southern two-thirds of Australia. 

“Their broad distribution, and the wide range of problems they cause, make them the nation’s worst vertebrate pest,” he said. 

“European wild rabbits adversely affect over 300 threatened native species, change landscapes, and cause losses of over $200 million a year to agricultural production.” 

Tissue sampling kits can be ordered from research.csiro .au/rhdv/testing. Dead rabbits can be reported at feralscan.org .au/rabbitscan. 

Benefits of rabbit control 

RABBIT Free Australia says the environment and primary production can get many benefits from rabbit control, including: 

• More plant species and more plant growth: Rabbits are selective feeders and, even in low numbers, can eliminate entire species of plants. High numbers can wreak havoc across entire landscapes. 
• Fewer feral predators: Rabbits can be easy prey for introduced predators like feral cats and foxes, helping to sustain those species and their predation on native animals. 
• Less erosion and fewer weeds: The burrowing of rabbits and their destruction of vegetation can leave land bare and open to erosion, degradation of waterways and invasion by weeds. Rabbits can also undermine roads, water tanks and even buildings. 
• More native animals: More abundant and healthier bushland provides food, shelter and nesting options for many animals which, together with fewer feral predators, results in healthier populations of native animals ranging from invertebrates to reptiles, birds and mammals. 
• Sustainable food production: Controlling rabbits results in more crop and pasture growth and production, less damage to infrastructure, and lower costs of production due to less need for pest and weed control. 
• More carbon sequestration: More plant growth equates to more carbon sequestration. 
• Healthy ecosystems and landscapes: All the above improve the health of our Australian landscapes and natural ecosystems.