Central Coast Feral rabbit reduction program to start in February

A huge plague of feral rabbits is creating destruction across the Central Coast prompting authorities to release a deadly virus to control numbers. If you have a pet rabbit, here’s what you need to do.

Greater Sydney Land Services will start a feral rabbit control program in February.

The most wide ranging feral rabbit reduction program ever run on the Central Coast will begin in February after an unprecedented explosion in the rabbit population.

MacMasters Beach, Mangrove Mountain and Norah Head have been particularly hard hit by the plague.

Greater Sydney Local Land Services said rabbits could cause serious damage even in urban areas, including Kariong High School sports fields where they’ve dug numerous holes.

The Land Service will release the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus throughout the Central Coast from 21 February in an effort to reduce rabbit numbers.

Domestic rabbit owner need to get their pets vaccinated.

Domestic rabbit owners have been warned to have their pets vaccinated against the virus.

Release of the virus was originally scheduled for release last October, but the program was postponed due to ongoing wet conditions and a high number of young rabbits in the area.

Greater Sydney biosecurity team leader Lee Parker said the new date ensured the program would have maximum impact in reducing rabbit numbers.

“This virus doesn’t spread as quickly in wet weather and baby rabbits are immune which is why the decision was made to hold off,” he said.

Rabbit digging can cause serious damage

“As always, we urge owners of pet rabbits to vaccinate their animals as soon as possible to ensure they are not impacted by the virus.

“The virus is spread mainly by contact between rabbits or via insects such as mosquitoes and flies. The virus only affects rabbits and if pets are vaccinated they become immune.”

Mr Parker said the control program was the third of its kind following the initial national program roll out in March 2017 which led to a 42 per cent reduction in feral rabbit numbers across NSW.

Rabbits are in very high numbers at the moment on the Central Coast.

“This program is designed to complement ongoing control efforts on private and public land,”

he said.

“We encourage landholders experiencing issues with feral rabbits to continue working with us to roll out co-ordinated control campaigns in partnership with their neighbours wherever possible,” he said.

Feral rabbits are a declared pest in NSW due to the significant amount of agricultural and environmental damage they cause.

They are believed to have contributed to the decline or extinction of a number of NSW native species including the greater bilby and the yellow footed rock-wallaby and their overgrazing is estimated to cost Australian agriculture more than $200 million every year.

Rabbits caught on infra-red cameras.

They can cause soil erosion and help to boost the population of other feral pests like foxes and cats by providing a food source.

In urban areas their burrowing can destroy lawns and undermine houses and other structures.