Tweed Shire Council to release calicivirus, urges pet owners to vaccinate rabbits

Bunny owners have been urged to vaccinate their pets ahead of a new push by the council to kill wild rabbits.

RABBIT owners are being urged to vaccinate their pets ahead of a new push by Tweed Shire Council to kill off wild rabbits in the area.

The council plans to release a strain of calicivirus over the coming months, a disease which can cause internal bleeding in a rabbit’s liver and gut.

The move is another attempt to tame the local wild rabbit population throughout the Tweed.

The virus can cause internal haemorrhaging.

Council’s Program Leader Pest Management Wildlife Protection Pamela Gray said less than one rabbit per hectare was enough to stop the growth of natival species.

“As such wild rabbits are considered a biosecurity risk, and measures must be put in place to control their numbers,” she said.

“One of the measures that will be used in the Tweed to control rabbits is a release of RHDV1 K5, a calicivirus strain.

“Calicivirus was successful in reducing numbers of wild rabbits on the Tweed Coast in late 2017.

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Pet rabbits should be vaccinated every six months.

“The new strain of calicivirus was first released as a biological control in February 2017 and may be released in the Tweed in September.”

Pet owners are now warned to protect their rabbits against the virus both through vaccination and ensuring their pets don’t interact with wild rabbits or eat grass grazed on by them.

Calicivirus can also be transmitted by fleas, mosquitoes and flies.