Latest news with #rabbits
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Invasive species undergoes mysterious change as it dominates Australia
Almost two centuries after rabbits were set free across Australia's fragile landscape, scientists are working to understand a mysterious change that has occurred in their physical nature. Oddly, the rabbits released from 1859 onwards have grown bigger than their European counterparts. The difference was noted in new research led by the University of Adelaide's Associate Professor Emma Sherratt, which studied the body sizes of 912 rabbits from around the world. 'We found Australian feral rabbits are quite a lot larger than European rabbits. We intend to find out why,' she said. It's hypothesised the changes could be due to "relaxed functional demands" on rabbits in Australia, because they face fewer threats from large predators. Physical developments have been observed in other feral animals released in Australia which give them an ecological advantage over native wildlife. In 2023, the Invasive Species Council noted that cane toads are changing in size and appearance as they adapt to different regions in Australia. As they expand west through Kakadu and into the Kimberly, cane toads at the edge of the "invasion front" have longer legs than those following them, allowing them to conquer new territory quickly. When you exclude the direct impact of humans, feral animals are responsible for more extinctions than anything else in Australia. Researchers are desperately working to give native species an edge by either genetically engineering them to avoid disease, or protecting them within dedicated sanctuaries. Native marsupials like the greater bilby once occupied up to 80 per cent of Australia's mainland. For thousands of years, throughout the night people would have seen the land teeming with the tiny creatures. Since European settlement, small marsupial numbers have dwindled, and conservationists have turned to protecting them inside fenced reserves. At the same time, feral rabbit numbers have exploded from an estimated 13 in 1859, to 200 million today, and scars from their warrens can be seen across the landscape. Meanwhile fewer than 10,000 greater bilbies survive. The researchers also examined rabbit skull shapes because changes in appearance indicate how they interact with their environment and what they feed on. 'Understanding how animals change when they become feral and invade new habitats helps us to predict what effect other invasive animals will have on our environment, and how we may mitigate their success,' Sherratt said. The work also included comparing the physical differences between rabbits that were raised for meat and fur, with wild animals. They found domesticated rabbit populations often didn't revert to their wild form after they were released into the environment. New detailed images released in fight to protect Australia from invasive pests Urgent plea to drivers after shocking dashcam footage emerges Call to stay vigilant as 'super' biosecurity threat spotted spreading over border 'While you might expect that a feral animal would revert to body types seen in wild populations, we found that feral rabbits' body size and skull-shape range is somewhere between wild and domestic rabbits, but also overlaps with them in large parts,' Sherratt said. 'Because the range is so variable and sometimes like neither wild nor domestic, feralisation in rabbits is not morphologically predictable if extrapolated from the wild or the domestic stock.' The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Photos show destruction as invasive species 'take over' Australian caravan parks
One of the country's most invasive pests is wreaking havoc on caravan parks in Australia's south, with photos shared online showing the extent of the devastation. Hundreds of rabbits were recently killed by professional shooters at Warrnambool along Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Noel Bauer and his colleague Shane from Vic Feral Eradication were contracted to shoot rabbits at Surfside Caravan Park and another undisclosed park in the area. Noel said rabbit activity was creating unstable footing for campers and impacting native animals. He carried out an environmental impact study on the parks last November to evaluate the damage rabbits were causing. "The rabbits were eating all the grass, and it was disappearing, and they were digging holes... with it all having an impact on the native animals," he said. "The ground was dangerous — there were concerns people would twist their ankles." The pair were brought in to shoot the rabbits this year, killing 1,189 over 10 days across the two locations. "The caravan parks were overrun with rabbits... there were holes every couple of metres," he said. "We go in there, hit them hard, get the numbers down as they breed very quickly." Despite the work being carried out over March and May, the pair decided to share photos online this week to drive home their messaging that rabbits are "taking over" parts of the country. The Invasive Species Council (ISC) told Yahoo in April that at least 300 native species have been identified as facing extinction and are directly impacted by the expanding rabbit populations across the country. Due to their impressive ability to breed, rabbits are quickly outcompeting native animals for available food sources. Native populations are declining while the ground continues to be stripped by rabbits. "Rabbits do more damage to native wildlife than any other animals," Noel said. "Cats do the most damage when we talk about killing animals, but rabbits do damage too because they remove food, as soon as it grows, rabbits nip it off, and then the ground becomes barren, making way for invasive weeds." Industry experts agree that national management strategies need to be implemented to address the issue; however, after federal funding ceased in 2022, and the last coordinated strategy was introduced over a decade ago, the rabbit population has well and truly boomed. "Recent season conditions mean the estimated 200 million rabbit population is likely about to explode, just as federal funding for the next killer virus [biocontrol method] runs dry," the ISC warned in April. Noel told Yahoo News that shooting was the only viable option at the two caravan sites because much of the area is environmentally protected. "We couldn't bait successfully because it's a built-up area open to the public, and the park is dog-friendly, so that ruled it out. The issue with harbouring, which is when you pull out and rip up where they live [burrows], is that the vegetation across the coastline is protected, and so we couldn't damage it. The other option you can do is fumigation, so we fumigate the burrows, but because we couldn't have access to the burrows, we couldn't do that," he said. "We've got a special licence... which allows us to use firearms in a pubic place." Shooting continues to be a controversial method of population control, despite authorities across the country continuing to permit it. An ACT Government spokesperson told Yahoo News last year 252 red-necked wallabies and 68 swamp wallabies were killed at the Mulligans Flat sanctuary — a wildlife sanctuary designed to protect wildlife. There also continues to be an annual ritual outside the Victorian parliament house where 82-year-old Laurie Levy shows off dozens of dead ducks after the state's approved duck culling season. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
8 rabbits dumped, left to "slow death" in Armstrong County
A humane officer is asking the public for help after eight rabbits were dumped and left to a "very long, slow death" in Armstrong County. Armstrong County humane officer Chris Jirak O'Donnell is trying to find whoever is responsible for abandoning eight Angora rabbits on a gas well road at Keystone Lake in Rural Valley. The bunnies were found by a family who had gone fishing. They called 911 and O'Donnell was called in to investigate. (Photos provided by Chris Jirak O'Donnell) "This was an incredibly cruel act. These animals had no chance of survival. And, the rabbits' conditions would likely have made it a very long, slow death," O'Donnell said in a new release. The rabbits were taken to BunRabit's Rescue in Greensburg. There, manager Nichole Gunderson spent hours shaving and treating the rabbits. Under their matted fur, O'Donnell said Gunderson found bite wounds, thin bodies and a broken toe. Veterinary treatment for the bunnies is being arranged. Abandoning the rabbits without food or vet care could result in misdemeanor charges. Depending on the veterinary exam results, those responsible could even face felonies. Anyone with information is asked to contact humane officer O'Donnell at humaneofficerac@ or by calling 724-954-9515.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- CTV News
N.S. woman banned from owning new animals after allowing 15 rabbits to ‘be in distress'
A woman has been sentenced for allowing 15 rabbits to be in distress, under Nova Scotia's Animal Protection Act. Karie Pye, 46, of Fletchers Lake, N.S., is prohibited from owning any new animals for six years and must make a $50 donation to the Nova Scotia SPCA. Pye is allowed to maintain custody of her four cats, but she must abide by terms and conditions for their care, including inspection rights for the SPCA. The sentence comes after SPCA officers found 15 rabbits 'living in unsanitary and poor conditions' following an animal cruelty complaint in early 2023. They later seized the animals after the owner failed to follow through on orders to improve their living conditions. 'Owning an animal comes with responsibilities to care for them,' said Kevin Strooband, chief inspector for the Nova Scotia SPCA, in a news release Monday. 'Clean water, food, shelter, and veterinary medical care are required; this is taken seriously in our province. Pet owners are encouraged to reach out for assistance before it becomes too overwhelming.' The Nova Scotia SPCA has the authority to investigate, lay charges, seize animals and issue orders related to animal cruelty and neglect under the Animal Protection Act and relevant sections of the Criminal Code. The charitable organization says it helped 24,000 pets in 2024. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
