Second Generation Problems
caused by
Rabbits in Australia and their
later effects
By: Hannah Husarek
Research: Hannah, Valencia, Gabi, and Erielle
General Problems
 Since the introduction of Rabbits and some other
invasive species about 60% of Australian native animals
have disappeared
 Plant Vegetation has decreased which affects the
livestock
 Millions of dollars have been lost in crop damage,
erosion, and species
 Extinction and endangerment of many species
The Land
 Research shows that one or two rabbits can prevent the growth of
plants in an acre by destroying all the seedlings
 The overgrazing of the rabbits has left bare fields causing erosion of
the fertile top soil resulting in the loss of good farmland
 In one area that was observed, rabbits had eaten 80% of all the
edible vegetation
 Some areas have 1000 or more rabbits per square kilometer
 Habitats of animals and plants are shrinking causing isolation of
species which can lead to overgrazing, fire, and the habitat being
destroyed which then can lead to the extinction of a species.
 600,000 hectares of bush where cleared last year in Australia
mostly in Queensland.
 The Australians built a 2000 mile “Bunny Fence” in the early 1900s
which was supposed to keep the rabbits from getting into the crops
but it did not work.
Plants and Animals
 Most older rabbit are now immune to the different viruses and can
only break out among the younger rabbits and are still protected for
the first 13 weeks
 Rabbits were the biggest prey for foxes and cats in Australia but
with decrease in their numbers there in concern for them to hunt
the native species in the area
 Because of the rabbits overgrazing their was no brush for hiding
places and for burrows
 One University says that the foxes and the rabbits are a deadly
combination and whenever they go native mammal's have vanished
 Rabbits that are constantly exposed to the poison 1080 are
becoming resistant to it.
 85% of Australia plants are only found in Australia and about 5031
plants are on the Rare and Threatened Australian Plants List and 76
are believed to be extinct.
Rabbit Fur and
Meat Industry
 Fur trade and Rabbit Meat Industry began to suffer from the
decease in the rabbit numbers from the various viruses they
were ejected
 In 1942 a report said that the damage caused by the rabbits
was 10 times the amount earned by these industries.
 These rabbits don’t breed like other rabbits and the rabbits you
join together need to have good traits or it will result in smaller
litters and lower survival rate of offspring.
 It is hard to crossbreed the rabbits so it is only good if the
offspring can produce more or better rabbits then there parents
did.
 You can’t pick just the biggest healthy looking rabbit to breed
because they usually come from smaller liters so you need to
look at estimated breeding values (EBVs) for the number of
kittens weaned and high growth rate after weaning. The rabbits
with the highest EBVs would be the best to use in breeding.
 To keep track of the rabbit breeding some of the more
successful rabbit breeders use computers and pedigree system
to keep track of the EBVs and compare the rabbits with other
farms/breeders.
The Easter Problem
 In Australia the Easter Bunny was replaced by the Easter
Bilby because all the destruction the rabbits caused to
their habitats
 There is less then 1000 Greater Bilbies left and the
Lesser Bilbies are all extinct.
 Bilbies are marsupials and like rabbits have long ears,
soft fur, both hop and are about the same size
 Bilbies are almost extinct because of the rabbits
 At stores they replaced chocolates of Easter Bunnies to
Chocolate Easter Bilbies
 Bilbies have even played the role of rabbits in a movie
A Video on Some of the Effects
Rabbits had in Australia
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpa
ge&v=rLrg9yrwGKw `