[Level Up] [Doc Top] [Doc End] [Next Item] [Home Page]
The Easter Bilby should take over from the Easter Bunny to highlight Australia's commitment to conserving our native wildlife, according to Mr William Morgan, Executive Officer of the Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia (ARRFA).
CSIRO supports the ARRFA's campaign to conserve our native wildlife as it appears more and more Australians are doing.
Last Easter demand exceeded supply for chocolate Easter Bilbies, with this year manufacturers making more chocolate bilbies and sales increasing.
Chocolate bilbies are sold with a children's book called "Easter Bilby". It a that the retiring Easter Bunny asked Flash Rabbit and Bilby to distribute chocolates at Easter. Flash and his friends ate all of his goodies, whereas Bilby diligently distributed his to everyone, so he was rewarded with the job of Easter Bilby.
Proceeds from the sale of the book are used to support research projects to reduce the impact of rabbits on the Australian natural environment and assist the recovery of endangered species like the bilby.
The bilby (or rabbit-eared bandicoot) was once common throughout southern Australia. They are now endangered and only found in a few isolated pockets of central Australia - where rabbits have not reached yet.
Rabbit problems are greatest in the range lands where they are implicated in the decline of many native plants and animal species.
If rabbits are not brought under control, they will continue to eat away at our unique natural heritage and agricultural profits.
CSIRO is doing important environmental research, such as testing rabbit calicivirus (pronounced cal-e-cee-virus), which is a naturally occurring virus that has effectively reduced rabbit numbers in China and Europe. Rabbit control currently depends on conventional methods that are expensive and labour intensive.
One way to show support for the fight against rabbits is to buy chocolate bilbies not bunnies at Easter.
Australian-made toy bilbies are available from CSIRO's Information Network, which has an office in each mainland State and the Northern Territory: price $13.95 plus postage and handling.
The Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia is supported by the Western Mining Corporation, the Australian Nature Conservation Agency and Elders Australia with Governor General, Bill Hayden, as patron.
For further information, please contact:
William Morgan, ARRFA[Level Up] [Doc Top] [Doc End] [Next Item] [Home Page]