Keep a look out for rabbits!

The Chairman of the national Rabbit Management Advisory Group (RMAG) has announced the RabbitScan initiative, operational from May 2009.

Most Local Government areas across Australia are facing increased pest rabbit damage to biodiversity and agriculture, to special areas and assets. The aim is to raise awareness of the growing threat of rabbits, through this new community-based initiative. RMAG has State and Australian Government members as well as key rabbit researchers, industry, community and landholder representatives.

The evidence base that we build together through this unique ‘rabbit census’ will help all of us to manage the emerging threats and keep our communities aware and acting to limit damage, on our properties and the shared places of our community.

The community access website is www.rabbitscan.net.au.

Already there are over 1500 users registered from across Australia, who are out looking, with over 500 actual sites on the map. But we need to have more surveys translated into sites on the maps, to meet our target of mapping at least 5,000 sites with rabbits. RMAG will continue to build a national Google Map of the RabbitScan surveys collected, by the community, agencies, travellers, Councils and schools at this time.

The rabbit may be either a high, medium or low threat in your local area, but one pair of breeding rabbits can breed up to 184 in just 18 months. Every pair of rabbits sighted is an indicator of the problem a community will face within a short time.