PUBLIC perception of rabbits as being cute and cuddly creatures means feral rabbits are a bigger problem in metro areas than in rural communities.
That’s the view of Cumberland Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA) ranger, Steve Parker, Camden, who has worked with councils throughout Sydney to curb the problem of feral rabbits.
“Rabbits are quite prevalent in Sydney and they are probably more of an issue in metro areas than in other regions because of a lack of responsibility among landholders and councils,” Mr Parker said.
However, unlike rural areas of NSW, the main rabbit problem in Sydney comes from domestic rabbits.
“It’s the cute, cuddly rabbits, the ones people regard as pets, which are causing major problems here and they are being released a lot,” Mr Parker said.
“Up to 90 per cent of feral rabbits in Sydney are domestic breeds.
“In rural areas, a 100-hectare rabbit problem can be controlled by one landholder. But in metro areas, that can be the responsibility of 200 landholders or more.”
Mr Parker confirmed reports of sightings of feral domestic rabbits under Sydney Harbour Bridge and said methods of controlling them were being stunted by the metropolitan way of life.
“There are many more animal rights activists in Sydney than in rural areas and people are not in tune with the rural way of thinking that rabbits are pests,” he said.
“A lot of people have manicured gardens, especially in the newer suburbs, and these are very attractive to rabbits.”
The problem in one of Sydney’s biggest green areas – Centennial Park – was so bad in 2007, Mr Parker and fellow ranger, Andrew Glover, undertook a secret night cull to control the population in the park.
During 13 nights, all 380 rabbits in the 186-hectare reserve were killed in an operation that remained secret for more than a year.
But Mr Parker said such culls were rare and using shooting as a tactic against rabbits had limited success.
“If you want to knock a population hard, the only way to do it is by baiting,” he said.
“Shooting is very labour intensive and expensive, but it can become effective to reduce populations by 10pc, to keep numbers temporarily down.”
Mr Parker has worked with councils across Sydney to increase rabbit management programs, with varying success.
“A lot of people want the LHPA to service council ratepayers, but our responsibility is to our ratepayers, those with less than 10ha,” he said.
“But some councils have been very progressive with their rabbit management.”
A City of Sydney spokesperson said they had “no knowledge of any current rabbit issues” in their area, which includes Sydney Harbour Bridge and Centennial Park.
However, in Sydney’s north-west, Baulkham Hills Shire Council has funded baiting throughout its region for more than five years.
Working with councils, Mr Parker has developed a number of baiting programs, usually using the pesticide Pindone.
Pindone is a registered rabbit poison that comes in two forms, powder and liquid, both of which are applied to bait materials, usually carrots or oats.
The Baulkham Hills program involves a preparation period of non-poison carrot baiting, to measure rabbit populations.
Live baits – chopped carrots baited with Pindone poison – are then placed in the affected reserves and any residual poison will be removed the foll-owing morning.
“Grazing and burrowing by rabbits can cause serious erosion problems, reduce recruitment and survival of native plants, and modify entire landscapes,” a council spokesperson said.
“Rabbits threaten the survival of a number of native animal species by altering habitat, reducing native food sources, displacing small animals from burrows, and attracting introduced predators such as foxes.”
* For more stories on Australia's 150-year war with rabbits, see The Land, December 31 edition.
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