Twenty years after a virus deadly to rabbits escaped from an island, catching scientists unprepared for its release, Michelago Landcare volunteer Tony Robinson is joining a community counter-attack.
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In 1996 Mr Robinson, a CSIRO scientist, was involved in plans to release the first rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHDV1), but it escaped off Wardang island in South Australia before the CSIRO and states had time to implement a planned release.
"There was a lost opportunity for a better release. The CSIRO was lining up a strategic release across Australia, but of course, that was changed because of the virus getting off the island," Mr Robinson said.
Nevertheless, RHDV1 knocked over 98 per cent of the rabbit population, more than enough to re-build numbers. A formidable pest that has defied fencing, poisoning, and shooting, rabbits also develop resistance to diseases. In 2007 a benign strain of calicivirus gave the rabbit partial immunity to RHDV.
An imported Korean strain of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus will be released next year and Mr Robinson will be on the front line helping to monitor its progress.
K5 is not a new virus. It is expected to boost existing virus variants and slow down rabbit numbers, which are out of control in Michelago, and the middle of Canberra, and many other places.
Researchers are coming up with new tools to slow down rabbit numbers. These include the RabbitScan app which has a tracking function developed through the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre to support the RHD Boost project.
Mr Robinson, Michelago Landcare president Jenny Goldie and their fellow volunteers will join thousands of citizen scientists around Australia using the app to gather information on rabbits.
NSW Department of Primary Industries researcher and project leader of RHD Boost, Tarnya Cox, spoke to the volunteers on Saturday. She said enlisting groups like Michelago Landcare would give better information on how fast the next virus spreads through the rabbit population.
"Farmers, land managers and the community can play an important role in recording evidence of rabbit disease which can be used as scientific data to guide local rabbit management activities," Dr Cox said.
"The app takes you through a few simple steps to record details of dead rabbits and includes images of rabbits affected by virus and disease for easy identification.
"A powerful aspect of the new tracker gives people the opportunity to submit tissue samples from dead rabbits with suspected RHD virus.
"When users click to submit a tissue sample our research team sends a free, postage-paid sampling kit with full instructions on how to collect and send the sample.
"Once the tissue sample is analysed an update on the digital map will record the results and the person who submitted the sample will be notified with accurate information of what virus is affecting rabbits in their area or control site, which is valuable information for their local rabbit management plan."
