European rabbits

Since arriving in Australia with the First Fleet, then deliberately released for hunting in the 1800s, European rabbits have become Australia’s most widespread and destructive environmental and agricultural vertebrate pest.

Their rate of spread is the fastest of any colonising mammal anywhere in the world. They are now found in all States and Territories, including several offshore islands.

Image by Anne Young

European rabbits impact natural environments and native species as a leading threat to biodiversity. Rabbits damage native plants and compete directly with native wildlife for food and shelter. Their digging and browsing leads to a loss of vegetation cover, which in turn can result in slope instability and soil erosion.

European rabbits impact agricultural activities by reducing productivity across most enterprises, from forestry and revegetation initiatives through to viticulture, grazing and cropping. Their consumption of green feed prevents seedlings from regenerating and reduces crop yields while also reducing the feed available to livestock. Other impacts stem from their ability to damage infrastructure on both farms and peri-urban properties.

European rabbits create a social toll with evidence of psychological stress and trauma to land managers dealing with rabbit infestations on their properties and members of the public finding sick rabbits. Other primary producers may have concerns about the potential for injury to horses from falling in burrows and warrens. Rabbits can also be a threat to sites of cultural significance to First Nations people as they burrow and disturb landscapes.

To learn more you can:

read about the biology, ecology and behaviour of European rabbits in ‘Further Learning’
find resources and publications about European rabbits in our Resources section
view this Meet the Ferals episode on the rabbit problem
view a sample of our videos below and find a comprehensive selection of conference, forum, presentation and how-to videos on our YouTube channel.

9 videos found

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How to submit rabbit disease data into RabbitScan

Reclaiming the rabbit problem with communities