Abstract
This essay discusses the history, geography and ecology of the introduction of the European rabbit into Australia. Special focus on eradication techniques and a discussion on whether the complete eradication of rabbits from Australia is feasible.

Contents:
Introduction and subsequent spread
Implications of invasion
Previous attempts for control
The future
Is eradication feasible?

From the Paper
"Although European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were first introduced into Australia with the arrival of the First Fleet, they did not become feral until an English settler by the name of Thomas Austin introduced 24 rabbits on to his homestead near Geelong in 1858 (EPA, 1999). It is difficult to exactly quantify the rate of spread of European rabbits, since liberation occurred independently in Victoria, South Australia and northern New South Wales, however figure 1 shows a plausible suggestion as to the progressive distribution of rabbit populations in Australia over time (AGPL, 1996)."

Tags:calicivirus, cuniculus, eradication, haemmorhagic, introduced, myxomatosis, oryctolagus, rhd, species