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Rabbit predators in australia9/27/2023 ![]() In South East Australia and South Australia bounties and bonuses were paid for wombats scalps up untill 1966, as the wombat was destructive to rabbit proof fences (Rolls, 162-3). Late last century the populations of species plumeted as shooters hired to cull rabbits, also culled wildlife for the pelt trade. Goannas, wombats and bandicoots were often directly poisioned as they were percieved as a menace to the farmer (Rolls,173-5). Rat-kangaroos, tiger-cats and magpies were some of the species inadvertently effected. Wildlife were often killed by poisions and traps set for rabbits. They rarely repopulate areas where they have become locally extinct due to isolation. Unlike the rabbit, which can quickly recover from a population crash, native mammals are not such prolific breeders and their numbers increase slowly. After a crash in the numbers of rabbits during a drought, the predator numbers initially drop much less dramatically than the rabbit and remain high putting intense pressure on the small populations of native mammals. These predators put stress on small populations of native mammals. A colony of rabbits will support a high number of predaters such as feral cat and foxes. This factor contributed to the regional extinction of the bilby and of the burrowing bettong. ![]() In its spread across Australia, the rabbit took advantage of pre-existing burrows and evicted various burrowing mammals such as the rufous hare-wallaby Lagorchestes hisutus, the bilby Macrotis lagotis and the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur, from their burrows. This has marginalised various species into smaller populations and effected thier reproductive capability. When an ecosystem is changed, the dependant fauna are displaced by a depeletion in thier required food source and breeding grounds. Due to selective grazing the rabbit has changed ecosystem composition radically. The disapperance of these marsupials is reputed to have occured only after areas were invaded by rabbits. ![]() By directly competing for food and habitat the rabbit has displaced many small to medium size marsupials such as the greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis (now an endangered species), and the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur, (now extinct on the mainland). The rabbit impacts upon native wildlife in many ways: In lost production and about 20 million spent on control (Sloane et al.1988). Populations is not well quantified but is estimated to be in the order of 90 million dollars The economic impact of present day rabbit Sheep and the consequent loss of production. As 16 rabbitsĮat as much as one sheep (Short,1985), this is equivalent to approximately 60 million In good seasons there may have been one billion rabbits. It would be difficult to exaggerate the economic and ecological impact of the rabbit prior "The rabbit is one of the greatest pests of the pastoral industry in Australia, and has fundamentally altered ecosystems" (Wilson et al,10). Economic and Ecological Impact of Rabbits
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