Australia's Rabbit Crisis: New Tools Needed

0:00In Sydney, it's March 12th, and here's what is going on. Australia is seeing a big boom in Pharaoh rabbits right now, with about 200 million of them hopping around the continent. Good breeding weather over the past few years has fueled the surge, and the old viruses that once kept numbers down, like mixoma and rabbit. Hammer-ragic disease are losing their punch due to resistance. Rabbids first hitched a ride to Australia, with the first fleet in 1788, but they didn't take off until 1859, when 24 wild ones were released near Jalong in Victoria. They spread fast, breeding every 28 days in good conditions, and soon caused massive damage by eating plants, competing with natives, and eroding soil. Early fixes like mongooses and chicken cholera bacteria flop badly. Then, mixomotosis arrived in the 1950s, wiping out 500 million rabbits in just two years, thanks to mosquitoes. Rabbit hammer-ragic disease virus, followed in 1995, spreading quickly and killing faster for better animal welfare.

1:03These viruses worked greater first through co-evolution with rabbits, but populations built immunity, especially in wet coastal spots. Now rabbits are popping up more in cities and suburbs, where poisons won't work near homes and pets, hitting farmers and ecosystems hard. Scientists are hunting new tools, like a gene drive to make rabbits infertile, or mostly male, plus fresh rabbit-specific viruses that spare natives, and pets. It could take years with all the testing and approvals, but expert stress, it's no silver bullet parrot. It with burrow-busting and habitat tweaks too. Really hold numbers low. Appreciation to our sponsor for backing this episode. Soley Pillow is a pillow with built-in headphones. Lay back, press play, and disappear into what you are listening to. S-O-L-I, soleypillow.com