2 days ago
Photos show destruction as invasive species 'take over' Australian caravan parks
One of the country's most invasive pests is wreaking havoc on caravan parks in Australia's south, with photos shared online showing the extent of the devastation.
Hundreds of rabbits were recently killed by professional shooters at Warrnambool along Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Noel Bauer and his colleague Shane from Vic Feral Eradication were contracted to shoot rabbits at Surfside Caravan Park and another undisclosed park in the area. Noel said rabbit activity was creating unstable footing for campers and impacting native animals.
He carried out an environmental impact study on the parks last November to evaluate the damage rabbits were causing. "The rabbits were eating all the grass, and it was disappearing, and they were digging holes... with it all having an impact on the native animals," he said. "The ground was dangerous — there were concerns people would twist their ankles."
The pair were brought in to shoot the rabbits this year, killing 1,189 over 10 days across the two locations.
"The caravan parks were overrun with rabbits... there were holes every couple of metres," he said. "We go in there, hit them hard, get the numbers down as they breed very quickly."
Despite the work being carried out over March and May, the pair decided to share photos online this week to drive home their messaging that rabbits are "taking over" parts of the country.
The Invasive Species Council (ISC) told Yahoo in April that at least 300 native species have been identified as facing extinction and are directly impacted by the expanding rabbit populations across the country.
Due to their impressive ability to breed, rabbits are quickly outcompeting native animals for available food sources. Native populations are declining while the ground continues to be stripped by rabbits.
"Rabbits do more damage to native wildlife than any other animals," Noel said. "Cats do the most damage when we talk about killing animals, but rabbits do damage too because they remove food, as soon as it grows, rabbits nip it off, and then the ground becomes barren, making way for invasive weeds."
Industry experts agree that national management strategies need to be implemented to address the issue; however, after federal funding ceased in 2022, and the last coordinated strategy was introduced over a decade ago, the rabbit population has well and truly boomed.
"Recent season conditions mean the estimated 200 million rabbit population is likely about to explode, just as federal funding for the next killer virus [biocontrol method] runs dry," the ISC warned in April.
Noel told Yahoo News that shooting was the only viable option at the two caravan sites because much of the area is environmentally protected.
"We couldn't bait successfully because it's a built-up area open to the public, and the park is dog-friendly, so that ruled it out. The issue with harbouring, which is when you pull out and rip up where they live [burrows], is that the vegetation across the coastline is protected, and so we couldn't damage it. The other option you can do is fumigation, so we fumigate the burrows, but because we couldn't have access to the burrows, we couldn't do that," he said.
"We've got a special licence... which allows us to use firearms in a pubic place."
Shooting continues to be a controversial method of population control, despite authorities across the country continuing to permit it. An ACT Government spokesperson told Yahoo News last year 252 red-necked wallabies and 68 swamp wallabies were killed at the Mulligans Flat sanctuary — a wildlife sanctuary designed to protect wildlife. There also continues to be an annual ritual outside the Victorian parliament house where 82-year-old Laurie Levy shows off dozens of dead ducks after the state's approved duck culling season.
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