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The rabbit calicivirus currently being tested as a biological control agent on Wardang Island, has successfully spread between warrens in the pens.
It has also spread beyond the quarantine area to two other nearby locations and this necessitated invoking contingency plans, required under quarantine regulations.
This appears to be good news for farmers and conservation groups who recognise the urgent need for additional control methods for rabbits, it does constitute a breach of the quarantine precautions so CSIRO scientists have culled the rabbits in the affected warrens.
As a further precaution to prevent spread, rabbits on the rest of the island are now being controlled, under well-developed contingency plans, as a precaution against possible spread to the mainland.
CSIRO scientists believe the spread of the virus outside the quarantine area could be due to bird or insect activity.
The Wardang Island trials, which were approved by Commonwealth and State agencies, are designed to establish the impact and persistence of the virus in Australian conditions and follows three years work at CSIRO AAHL. The spread of the virus outside of the fenced quarantine area suggests that rabbit calicivirus is highly infectious, enhancing its potential for rabbit control.
Containment plans are in place in the unlikely event of spread to the mainland.
The Future of RCD for Rabbit Control
Rabbit calicivirus is a naturally occuring virus prevalent in some 40 countries and does not affect people or any other species including domestic and native animals.
This incident indicates that RCD is highly infectious, enhancing its potential for rabbit control. The results of the project will be assessed and presented for national public consultation in 1996.
For further information contact:
Niall Byrne at CSIRO AAHL
For information in the Port Victoria area, residents should contact :
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