Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre discusses rabbit numbers
6PR Perth. Drive. 03 Sep 2009 05:47PM
Professor Tony Peacock, Chief Executive, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, joins compere Howard Sattler to talk about an increase in rabbit numbers in Perth. Peacock Tweets under the name ‘feral bloke’. He says that rabbits breed quickly and are currently recovering from and becoming resistant to calicivirus, which was released 14 years ago. He says the animals cause a huge loss in agriculture production and have an effect on biodiversity and vegetation. Peacock talks about how the CSIRO first utilised the calicivirus and the possibility of releasing another wave of the disease. He says Myxomatosis is still effective 60 years after it was released, but there are few other things that can be done in urban areas, so there is concern about their increasing numbers. Sattler says he has had four possums removed from his home. Peacock says 24 rabbits were brought to Geelong for hunting 150 years ago and this led to the fastest spread of a feral animal in the world. He says biological control will not be a silver bullet.
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