Success in war on rabbits
| Published date | 03 June 2021 |
| Publication title | Central Otago News |
That is in stark contrast to the rest of Central Otago and is due to community buy-in and co-operation to eradicate the pest species.
The settlement off State Highway 8, with a population of about 750, has managed to do what larger towns have not.
Rabbit numbers across Central Otago and Wanaka are as bad as ever. The latest data analysed by the Otago Regional Council over a 10-year period (2011-2020) show escalating rabbit numbers in Cromwell, Luggate and Tarras.
Monitored sites in Ettrick, Roxburgh, Lindis, Fruitlands and Bannockburn had a decline in observed rabbit numbers in this same period. The RHDV K5 virus released in 2018 was more effective in some areas than others, and was a likely factor.
ORC manager biosecurity and rural liaison Andrea Howard said rabbits were a priority pest in Otago, due to the serious threat they represented to biodiversity, environment and economic values.
Ten rabbits ate the equivalent amount of grass as one sheep, resulting in reduced pastoral production as well as soil erosion and degradation.
‘‘They can destroy gardens and eat tree seedlings and vegetables and they breed prolifically, making them very difficult to control without sustained and co-operative efforts,’’ Ms Howard said.
ORC’s authority on rabbit control was limited to ‘‘regional leadership, education, facilitation, and compliance’’ leaving the control of the pest on individual properties the responsibility of the land occupier or owner.
‘‘This rule applies equally to all landowners, though we recognise the options for rabbit control are sometimes more limited in urban and peri-urban settings where people live in close proximity,’’ Ms Howard said.
Co-operation and communication between landowners was essential for identifying rabbit control measures which worked for everyone, and for upholding rabbit controls to keep populations from bouncing back, she said.
A collaborative approach in the fight against rabbits had proved successful in Central Otago community Pisa Moorings, reducing the pest population by 90% and creating an almost bunny-free oasis, according to Pest Free Pisa Moorings co-founder Stu Taylor.
The group started in September last year and set out to tackle the subdivision’s rabbit problem. It had completed 350 volunteer hours since November.
Volunteers armed with shovels and magtoxin gas to kill the rabbits safely in their warrens have run twice weekly working bees.
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