Feral Fighters Rabbit Control Field Day
Feral Fighters Rabbit Control Field Day
Managing rabbit populations in the New England region
Taking Action -
MEPAAW2-NT-01C
The issue
Since being introduced to Australia in the late 18th Century, rabbits have become an invasive pest species, inflicting serious damage to the landscape and competing with livestock and wildlife for resources and pasture. These problems are magnified in the current drought conditions experienced in the Glen Innes region, with the lack of ground cover exposing the extent of rabbit activity, including rabbit warrens, degraded land, soil erosion and damage to the understorey of sheds and buildings. Despite the dry, rabbit populations continue to thrive, leaving landholders with the task of controlling pest numbers on their properties.
The solution
A Rabbit Control Field Day was held in partnership between GLENRAC and the Local Land Services on 3rd September 2019 to give landholders in the Glen Innes community the opportunity to develop agency around rabbit control. The current lack of feed due to drought conditions means the rabbit population is stressed and searching for food, so the workshop was held at an optimal time for undertaking control of the species.
The field day was designed to strategically target pest animals in the Glen Innes region, with the primary aim to encourage all landholders to collaborate through group baiting to effectively reduce the rate of re-invasion in the area.
The Local Land Services team guided landholders through best practice rabbit control methods and demonstrated baiting, trapping, ripping and fumigation to attendees. There were also a number of resources available to facilitate landholders’ participation in the program.
A second event was held by GLENRAC in collaboration with the Local Land Services and the Rural Fire Service at Bald Nob on the 18th September to further spread awareness of rabbit control throughout the region. Local Land Services Biosecurity Officer, Perry Newman, spoke to attendees about the pervasiveness of rabbits in the region and the types of control methods landholders can implement, including best practice rabbit management, tools and strategies available to landholders, rabbit action plans and the Biosecurity Act legislation.
The impact
10 people attended the Rabbit Control Field Day and 13 people attended the event at Bald Nob. On average, the attendees surveyed noted a change in ‘a lot’ of knowledge about the control of rabbits from 18% before the workshop to 66% after, and a change in ‘a lot’ of confidence in controlling the pest species from 15% before the workshop to 64% after. Attendees can now put into action best practice methods to control the species on their properties, including baiting and, trapping, ripping and fumigation.
Key facts
- The pervasiveness of rabbits in the Glen Innes region is threatening the health of the landscape and the availability of food for livestock and wildlife
- The current drought conditions magnify the effects of damage caused by rabbits
- Collaboration between landholders through group baiting and rabbit control programs is key to controlling rabbits in a geographic area