Rabbits in Australia - Control Measures

Control Measures

By 1887 losses from rabbit damage compelled the New South Wales Government to offer a substantial reward for "any method of success not previously known in the Colony for the effectual extermination of rabbits". The offer attracted the attention of Louis Pasteur who proposed using the chicken cholera bacillus (now known as Pasteurella multocida), and while this measure was not proved practicable the association with Pasteur accelerated the introduction of microbiology into Australia.

A Royal Commission was held to investigate the situation in 1901. Once the problem was understood, various control methods were tried to limit or reduce the population of rabbits in Australia. These methods had limited success until the introduction of biological control methods in the latter half of the 20th century.

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