The European rabbit was introduced into Australia in the 19th century. They released domesticated and undomesticated rabbits. They introduced domesticated rabbits to use for a source of meat for the new settlers. But they also introduced wild rabbits for the purpose of recreational hunting and to help the first European settlers, resettle into Australia.
The presence of the European rabbit is being felt in many aspects of the Australian environment. The first aspect is that because rabbits burrow away the top soil, this can lead to soil erosion and the destruction of native animal’s habitat. This is also because the plants root systems can be ruined since many rabbits will chew through the plants roots or burrow all the soil around the plants causing them to die of suffocation and/or trauma. This directly effects the native animals because the native plants are a part of most of their diets but also it removes shaded areas which can cause animals to become vulnerable. The lack of plants can also cause flooding because there are not enough plants to hold the excess water.
The second aspect is that the European rabbits ruin the natural balance of that ecosystem by continually grazing on a number of different types of vegetation that is naturally meant for other
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This includes shooting and trapping the rabbits, fumigating their burrows and introducing viruses. A more in-depth example of a technique informed by science is to release a biocontrol virus strain. The virus is called Rabbit Haemorrhagic Virus, which is also known as RHDV1 K5 from Korea. This virus only affects the rabbits and not the native wildlife. Scientific knowledge has led to this strategy because biologists have discovered this strand, which already uses knowledge of biological viruses. But it also uses knowledge of rabbits and the ways they can be susceptible to certain viruses and the susceptibilities of native