Weekly Times 26 October 2005 pp 7

In the WT to day, it has an article about Spanish researchers finding a way of ensuring rabbits is immune to myxo and calicivirus. Apparently, rabbits infected with the benign version of both myxo and calici become immune to both. The article suggests that it will devastate Aus “when†it gets here.

I wasn’t that taken by the article until I was down the street (our town is in the wheat belt and boasts 700 people) after school. All three of the farmers I talked to were worried silly by it.

Can it really impact on us so much?


I know I would love to see rabbits like they were in the post WW2 years, just from a shooting point of view. I know my brother on the family farm would not be quite so ecstatic,

I can see why the farmers could be upset at the same possible outcome.

I remember Warding Island well. Remember how calici will never get to the main land until we want it to?

But I just can’t see that we could get back to millions of rabbits everywhere.

Also, I am also not worried overly about the bird flu jumping the barrier to humans yet.

Rabbits develop a natural immunity to myxomotosis anyway. Which is why the CSIRO has released different strains of it over time and also the calcivirus.

I think it would be a disaster for Australia if the both diseases became ineffective. The erosion effects of rabbits alone would lay waste to thousands of square kilometres (total effect) of arable land and valuable top soils lost.

I think it would be equivalent to economic sabotage for OS researchers to develop immunity to the diseases but of course the immune rabbit genes would have to be introduced here from Spain.

Why are they doing it? For domestic commercial rabbit production or something?

To protect their domestic rabbit industry, apparently.

Interesting before and after photos of rabbit damage.


Rabbits reduced Phillip Island to a wasteland. Photos: Department of the Environment and Heritage



Recovery was spectacular after the rabbits were eradicated
Photos: Department of the Environment and Heritage

Those photos say it all .
Calici virus is not that effective around here at the moment anyway . More rabbits than I have seen since pre - Calici .It's possible that the rabbits are developing a natural resistance as they have to myxo .
Shot 50 + in the past 10 days just walking around late arvo with my Hornet .
Good practise for offhand shots !