Diggers

Releasing rabbit-borne diseases has proven somewhat successful in controlling the population of rabbits in Australia. In 1950, after research carried out by Frank Fenner, Myxomatosis was deliberately released into the rabbit population, causing it to drop from an estimated 600 million to around 100 million. Genetic resistance in the remaining rabbits allowed the population to recover to 200-300 million by 1991.

To combat this trend, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) scientists released calicivirus (also known as Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease or RHD) in 1996. However, the large number of rabbits killed resulted in starvation among their predators. The success of the virus was found to be higher in drier climates. This was because it appears there is another calicivirus in the colder, wetter areas of Australia, and that this virus was immunising rabbits against the more virulent form.

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