In 1859, 24 rabbits were released in Victoria. From these meagre beginnings they invaded the rest of Australia faster than any other mammal on any other continent. The extent of the problem is such that Australia is now home to the largest feral rabbit population in the world. Rabbits compete with native animals for food, shelter and territory. Far from being just a rural issue, rabbits shelter and breed in urban areas and bushland and graze in open grassy areas such as lawns. Eradicate Pest control specialises in operating in urban areas to removes these pest animals through shooting.
Rabbits are recognised as a pest animal under the Rural Lands Protection Act 1998. They are very well adapted to Australian conditions and populations multiply rapidly when conditions are favourable. Rabbits, both European wild rabbits and roaming domestic rabbits, have become a major issue in both the Sydney metropolitan area and surrounding rural areas.
Unfortunately a large number of the wild rabbit population in the metropolitan area is made up of domestic rabbits. These populations comprise of domestic pets that have established wild populations or are coexisting and interbreeding with wild populations. The domestic rabbit and the European wild rabbit are the same species and will readily interbreed. These populations are makedly depleted by targeted shooting by a professional shooter or shooters.
There are also isolated feral rabbit populations throughout these areas, such as along coastal dunes, open space areas and fringing bushland reserves. Bushland reserves adjacent to parkland and private properties are often the most heavily affected. Eradicate Pest Control can work with Councils and Police to reduce these populations in urban areas whislt still operating withing the framework of the Crimes Act.
Impacts on the environment:
Rabbits are a problem because they:
- Destroy native vegetation communities by digging and eating native seedlings
- Their droppings increase nutrients in the soil
- They increase erosion by grazing and digging
- They damage lawns, gardens and playing fields by grazing and digging warrens
- They eat the seedlings of native and garden plants, reducing native plant biodiversity and damaging gardens
- They compete with native animals, such as bandicoots, for food and shelter.