Rabbits Costing Agricultural Industry
Rabbit populations across the Limestone Coast have increased due to the abundance of food and good breeding conditions. Coming into the hot weather, the Limestone Coast Landscape Board is urging landholders to start their Summer rabbit control.
Rabbit populations across the Limestone Coast have increased due to the abundance of food and good breeding conditions.
Maintaining pressure on rabbits each year improves farm productivity, reduces food resources for foxes and feral cats and helps to protect remnant native vegetation and wildlife habitat.
Using a range of methods and coordinating with your neighbours to control rabbits over the summer season produces great results and restricts rapid recovery of the rabbit population in Autumn.
Limestone Coast Landscape Officers help landholders control rabbits by providing information, advice and integrated control services. Landscape Officers can provide:
- Advice on pest control such as best control methods and timing of control:
- Bait and equipment to assist with your rabbit control program
- Publications and factsheets
If you need assistance with rabbit control, please contact your local Landscape Officer for advice through our Landscape SA centres at Mt Gambier (ph. 8735 1177) or Keith (ph. 8755 1620).
Image courtesy of the Wheatbelt NRM
Image Courtesy of RabbitScan
Did you know RabbitScan is a free resource for the general public, farmers, local councils, community groups, pest controllers and biosecurity organisations. You can use RabbitScan to record fox sightings, report fox impacts, and document control action.
Information you enter can alert local biosecurity authorities and your community about fox activity, and can help to protect domestic and native wildlife from fox activity.
If you are undertaking control, you can use it to document where you are baiting or setting traps for foxes. People are using RabbitScan to work together to coordinate control.
Visit RabbitScan for more information
This article was sourced from the February 2021 Limestone Coast Landscape Board's AgConnect Newsletter. CLICK HERE to sign up today for the newsletter.