Monitoring Country
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Rabbit

Other common names:
  • Other common names: european wild rabbit
  • Aboriginal language namnes: Bina buraarr in Gamilaraay/Gamilaroi/Kamilaroi, Yurabirr in Yuwaalayaay/Yuwaalaraa
  • Scientific name: Oryctolagus cuniculus
Rabbit

Rabbits are one of the most common and widespread invasive species that live in the bush across Australia. They are herbivorous and eat a wide variety of plants including crops and native vegetation.

Rabbits are a threat to biodiversity and healthy Country

Rabbits harm Country and native plants because they ring-bark, dig up roots, graze and browse on native vegetation, and build large warrens. This can cause:

  • Poor seedling regeneration
  • Decline or loss of native plant species
  • Soil erosion
  • Spread of weeds
  • Change of habitat structure and health

Rabbits can cause the loss of native animal habitats, and compete for food and shelter resources with many native animal species, like Bilbies. Rabbits are also a food source for Feral Cats and Foxes, and therefore populations of Rabbits can lead to larger populations of feral predators. 

Rabbits are a serious threat to Australia’s biodiversity – they impact at least 44 species of Threatened Fauna, 260 species of Threatened Flora, and 9 Ecological Communities.

Rabbits are listed as a declared pest in all Australian states and territories, and competition and land degradation by Feral Rabbits is identified as one of the key threatening processes to native species under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. There is a national Threat Abatement Plan for competition and land degradation by Rabbits.

Managing Rabbits

Total eradication of Rabbits is not currently possible because of how widespread and well-adapted they are to Australia. Best practice management of Rabbits therefore aims to reduce the impact on Australia’s biodiversity. Control methods for Rabbits include:

  • Release of biological controls like Myxomatosis and Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHDV)
  • Baiting with oats laced with 1080 poison or Pindone
  • Fumigation of warrens with lethal gas
  • Destruction of warrens (warren ripping) and above-ground shelters
  • Exclusion fencing
  • Shooting
  • Trapping with soft net traps and soft-jaw leg-hold traps

Reducing the impact of Rabbits is most effective when Rabbit control programs are combined with Feral Cat, Fox and weed management.

Where they live

place Occurrence Records

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Rabbit occurrence records © Atlas of Living Australia

Where they live

Rabbits were released in Australia by early European colonisers. They quickly spread across Australia and are now found almost everywhere, excluding the northernmost areas.

Habitat

Rabbits are found in most habitat types across Australia where they can establish warrens and access water (either directly or from their food) including deserts, shrublands, grasslands and coastal plains as well as agricultural and urban environments. They generally avoid forests and floodplains, and habitats with clay and black cracking soils.

What they look like

Rabbits typically have grey-brown fur but can also be light brown, ginger, black or white. They have long ears and a short fluffy tail. 

 

Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Credit: Leithallb, CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int).

Better understand:

REMEMBER! Any time you do work that might disturb or interfere with native animals and vegetation, particularly threatened species, you need to check with the state authorities to see if you need any approvals, such as scientific licences or animal ethics committee permits.

You can monitor Rabbits to better understand:

  • Where Rabbits are and aren’t on Country
  • How many Rabbits live on Country
  • How well management of Country and Rabbits is working

By using one or more the following methods, you can better understand Rabbits on your Country. If you monitor the same place at the same time every year, you can see if there are changes to Rabbits on Country.

 

2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey

A good way to monitor Rabbits is by searching 2 hectare areas for all signs of Rabbits, including tracks, scats, diggings and burrows. This survey doesn’t need specialised equipment but it is useful to have some tracking skills. The survey can be used to target Rabbits, but you can also record information on any other animals that leave behind signs. 

What can you learn?

  • Presence/absence – if and where Rabbits live on Country
  • Occupancy - If enough plots surveyed, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many places really have Rabbits, even if they weren’t detected at every plot. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time
  • Activity  - how many signs of Rabbits were detected during the survey. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.

Using it the Right-way

Rabbits use lots of different habitat types, so if you are targeting Rabbits for your survey, make sure the plots are spread across all of the different major habitat types found on Country.

You can learn more about the 2 Ha Plot method on the “How we check on things” page and in the Environmental Monitoring Method 2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey.

 

Spotlighting

Spotlighting surveys along transects can be used to monitor Rabbits, particularly in flat and open habitats. They are particularly useful if repeated regularly over a long period of time. These surveys need only some simple equipment (head torches or spotlights) and a little bit of practice spotting and identifying animals at night.

What can you learn?

  • Presence/absence – if and where Rabbits live on Country.
  • Occupancy - If enough Rabbits are detected at different sites, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many places really have Rabbits, even if they weren’t detected on every transect. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time.
  • Activity - how many detections of Rabbits during the survey (e.g. number of animals seen per kilometre surveyed). This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.
  • Population size – if enough Rabbits are seen on transect, the information can be used in a distance sampling analysis to estimate how many Rabbits live on Country.

Using it the Right-way

Rabbits use lots of different habitat types, so make sure the transects are spread across all of the different major habitat types found on Country.

You can learn more about spotlighting with line transects on the “How we check on things” page and in the Environmental Monitoring Method Mammal Spotlighting Survey with Line Transects (in development).

 

Remote Camera Survey

Remote cameras can be set up to take photos whenever an animal passes in front of the camera. This method is useful for Rabbits because it means you don’t have to search for or catch them. This type of survey can be used to monitor lots of different animals.

You will need to buy good quality remote cameras, but not much training is needed for deploying cameras or identifying Rabbits in the images. Images can also be processed first with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which can be useful when you have large numbers of images.

What can you learn?

  • Presence/absence – if and where Rabbits live on Country.
  • Occupancy - If enough cameras are deployed at different sites, the presence/absence data can be used to estimate occupancy. This type of modelling helps to work how many places really have Rabbits, even if they weren’t detected on every camera. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be and if is getting smaller/bigger over time.
  • Activity  - how many detections of Rabbits were detected during the survey. This can be used as an indicator of how large the population might be.

Using it the Right-way

Rabbits use lots of different habitat types, so make sure the cameras are spread across all of the different major habitat types found on Country.

You can learn more about remote cameras on the “How we check on things” page and in the Environmental Monitoring Method Landscape Scale Camera Trap Monitoring (in development).

 

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Remember Ethics and Permits

Any time you do work that might disturb or interfere with native animals and vegetation, check with the state authorities to see if you need any approvals.

VIEW PERMIT INFO
Camera Traps
Camera Traps
CLICK TO LEARN MORE
SOP Files
Using it the right way

This is a method where cameras are placed out on Country and left to record any animals that move past the camera. The camera can be lured (usually with food like peanut butter, sardines or chicken) to encourage an animal to visit the camera. If a species is detected on camera, its presence is recorded. This method doesn’t focus only on Rabbits, as the presence of all species is usually recorded.

2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey
2 Ha Plot: Tracks, Scats, Diggings & Signs Survey
CLICK TO LEARN MORE
SOP Files
Using it the right way

This is a method where trackers search a 2 Ha area for all signs of animals, including tracks, scats, diggings and other signs. If signs of a species are found in a plot, its presence is recorded. This method doesn’t focus only on Rabbits, as the presence of all species is recorded.

Primary sources

This landing page was developed using the following sources:

Primary sources

This landing page was developed using the following sources:

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