One theory as to why the Barwon Park rabbits adapted so well to Australia is that the hybrid rabbits that resulted from the interbreeding of the two distinct types were much more suited to Australian conditions. William could not source enough grey rabbits to meet his uncle's order, so he topped it up by buying domestic rabbits. At the time, he had stated, 'The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting'. Upon arriving in Australia, which had no native rabbit population, Austin asked his nephew William Austin in England to send him 12 grey rabbits, five hares, 72 partridges, and some sparrows so he could continue his hobby in Australia by creating a local population of the species. While living in England, Austin had been an avid hunter, regularly dedicating his weekends to rabbit shooting. The current infestation appears to have originated with the release of 24 wild rabbits by Thomas Austin for hunting purposes in October 1859, on his property, Barwon Park, near Winchelsea, Victoria and by 1866, the Geelong Advertiser reported 50,000 having been killed by hunters. A load of rabbit skins, Northern Tablelands, New South Wales The population explosion was ascribed to the disappearance of native predators, but the emergence of a hardier breed by natural selection has subsequently been attributed to their spread. Their population remained fairly stable until around 1866, presumed to have been kept in check by native carnivores and were protected by an Act of Parliament, but by 1867 was out of control. Dutton's Anlaby Estate in the Mid-North of South Australia, released a number of rabbits for hunting sport. In 1857–1858, Alexander Buchanan, overseer for F. The first of these, in Sydney at least, was one built by Alexander Macleay at Elizabeth Bay House, 'a preserve or rabbit-warren, surrounded by a substantial stone wall, and well stocked with that choice game.' In the 1840s, rabbit-keeping became even more common, with examples of the theft of rabbits from ordinary peoples' houses appearing in court records and rabbits entering the diets of ordinary people. Įnclosures appear to mean more extensive rabbit-farming warrens, rather than cages. rabbits are bred around houses, but we have yet no wild ones in enclosures.' He also noted the scrubby, sandy rubble between Sydney and Botany Bay would be ideal for farming rabbits. At the same time in NSW, Cunningham noted, '. This clearly shows a localised rabbit population explosion was underway in Tasmania in the early 19th century. We understand, that there are no rabbits whatever in the elder colony' i.e., New South Wales (NSW). However, by 1827 in Tasmania, a newspaper article noted '.the common rabbit is becoming so numerous throughout the colony, that they are running about on some large estates by thousands. In the first decades, they do not appear to have been numerous, judging from their absence from archaeological collections of early colonial food remains.

They were bred as food animals, probably in cages. Rabbits were first introduced to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788.

History Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, rabbit shooting at Barwon Park, Victoria in the 1860s Domesticated rabbits are banned as pets in the state of Queensland. However, the survivors have since adapted and partially recovered their previous numbers. The myxoma virus, which causes myxomatosis, was introduced into the rabbit population in the 1950s and had the effect of severely reducing the rabbit population. From 1901 to 1907, a rabbit-proof fence was built in Western Australia in an unsuccessful attempt to contain the rabbits. Conventional methods include shooting rabbits and destroying their warrens, but these had only limited success. Various methods in the 20th century have been attempted to control the Australian rabbit population. Their spread may have been enhanced through the emergence of strong crossbreeds. Such wild rabbit populations are a serious mammalian pest and invasive species in Australia causing millions of dollars' worth of damage to crops. European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) were first introduced to Australia in the 18th century with the First Fleet, and later became widespread, because of Thomas Austin.

Australian rabbit predators