Rabbits were first introduced to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788. They were bred as food animals, probably in cages. In the first decades they do not appear to have been numerous, judging from their absence from archaeological collections of early colonial food remains. By 1827 in Tasmania the common rabbit had become so numerous throughout the colony, that they were running about on some large estates by thousands,This clearly shows that the localised rabbit
population explosion was underway in Tasmania in the early 19th century. In NSW rabbits were bred around houses, the scrubby, sandy soil between
Sydney and Botany Bay was ideal for farming rabbits.In the 1840s rabbit-keeping became even more common, with examples of the theft of rabbits from ordinary peoples' houses appearing in court records, and rabbits entering the diet of ordinary people.
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The localised Tasmanian rabbit plague was noted, but it would be surprising if there were no escapes from the many warrens and cages that would have been present throughout the area of
European settlement in southeastern Australia. It is possible that native predators, particularly carnivorous dasyurids, were much more effective as natural controllers of the
population than the later foxes and feral cats. When their populations collapsed as a result of habitat destruction and sometimes deliberate hunting rabbit populations could rise with far less restraint.
The current infestation appears to have originated with the release of 24 wild rabbits by Thomas Austin on his property, Barwon Park, near Winchelsea, Victoria, in October 1859 for hunting purposes. While living in England, Austin had been an avid hunter, regularly dedicating his weekends to rabbit shooting. Upon arriving in Australia, which had no native rabbit
population, Austin asked his nephew in England to send him 24
grey rabbits, five hares, 72 partridges and some sparrows so that he could continue his hobby in Australia by creating a local
population of the species. Many other farms released their rabbits into the wild after Austin. At the time he had stated, "The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of
home, in addition to a spot of hunting.
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Rabbits are extremely prolific creatures, and spread rapidly across the southern parts of the country. Australia had ideal conditions for a rabbit
population explosion. With mild winters, rabbits were able to breed the entire year. With widespread farming, areas that may have been desert, scrub, or
woodlands were instead turned into vast areas with low vegetations, creating ideal habitat for rabbits. Humans are directly responsible for the initial release of the rabbits, and indirectly responsible for modifying the Australian landscape for ideal rabbit survival.
In a classic example of unintended consequences, within ten years of the introduction in 1859, rabbits had become so prevalent that two million could be shot or trapped annually without having any noticeable effect on the
population. It was the fastest spread ever recorded of any mammal anywhere in the world. Today rabbits are entrenched in the southern and central areas of the country, with scattered populations in the northern deserts.
Around 1897, telegraphists at the
Eucla telegraph station used to amuse themselves by watching three waves of rabbits pour across the Nullarbor from the east, en route to Western Australia.
The
Eucla telegraph station had been in operation for almost 20 years when telegraphists began noticing rabbit traces when walking for exercise before coming on duty. Soon the traces began to appear more thickly and they even extended to the Pass and on the Roe Plain.
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But no one took much notice and did not realize that this was the opening phase of an invasion from the east of hordes of rabbits.
An urgent report was telegraphed to
Perth, however when it was shown to Sir
John Forrest, the Premier dismissed the call for help with a smile and said: "It's sheep manure they've seen". The report was soon forgotten and no action was taken. The rabbits continued to pour in from the east and also began to multiply rapidly. Tens of thousands of rabbits hunted for food in the already stricken
Eucla district and even stripped the bark from the trees. After there was no food above ground they began grubbing up and eating the roots of the saltbush, the blue bush and the cotton bush.
The situation was becoming desperate and a more urgently worded message was telegraphed to
Perth. This time the authorities were convinced. The authorities in
Adelaide were also showing anxiety and it was they that took the first action. Whose inspiration was responsible will never be known but someone must have suggested, "Let's send them cats". The suggestion was taken seriously and the authorities gathered up hundreds of cats and shipped them to
Eucla with the instructions, "Let the cats see the rabbits!".
Dutifully but unconvinced, the settlers at
Eucla obeyed. On being released the cats swarmed across the sandhills and attacked in style. They gorged themselves, slept it off in the sun, and then attacked again. But the rabbits still multiplied. Eventually the cats tired of rabbit meat and began hunting birds and lizards. The cats also took over rabbit burrows and kittens arrived by the score. And so began the second plague of
Eucla - CATS.
And for anyone who follows the shores of the bight, say from
Port Lincoln to the Sandpatch, they will find that the domestic cat has run wild. In all likelihood, the majority of these are descendants of that disastrous shipload landed at
Eucla jetty to exterminate the rabbits.
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