The history of the hare infestation in Australia dates back to the end of the 18th century. During this period, an English immigrant named Thomas Austin brought with him 5 European rabbits and 12 rabbits to hunt. It didn't take long for the rabbits to give birth to 7 cubs. Eventually, Austin placed the 24 rabbits on the farm to raise them.
Unexpectedly, the rabbits successfully adapted to the Australian environment and multiplied rapidly. In just a few years, it has bred to tens of thousands. During this period, many rabbits escaped from the farm and officially became hares. By the beginning of the 20th century, the number of hares had multiplied exponentially, reaching a staggering 10 billion individuals. It has also begun to wreak havoc on local vegetation and agriculture. Due to the extremely rapid reproduction rate of hares and the fact that there are not many natural predators in Australia, the hare overrun has deteriorated rapidly.
You know, there are only more than 8 billion humans on the entire planet today. It can be seen that the extent of the hare's prevalence in Australia has increased. If it is given to 1.4 billion Chinese, each person can get more than 7. Of course, there are many ways in which hares can thrive in Australia. First of all, the environmental conditions in Australia are very favorable for the survival and reproduction of hares. Most of the area has a warm climate and lush vegetation, providing abundant food and habitat, all of which greatly promote the survival and reproduction of hares.
Secondly, hares have relatively few natural predators. In Australia, no natural predator can effectively control the hare population. For example, eagles, snakes, wolves, and so on, rarely exist. This allows hares, in the absence of natural predators, to reproduce quickly and form a flood situation in a short period of time.
There is also a strong reproductive ability of rabbits, which can generally give birth to one litter in a month, and more than ten litters per litter. After giving birth, the female rabbit can continue to get pregnant. And the rabbits are able to reproduce immediately after a few months. It is no exaggeration to say that it can be born more than a pig.
To address the problem of hare infestation, the Australian Government has taken a number of different approaches. First, a wide range of poison bait was implemented in the hope of controlling their numbers by poisoning hares. However, this method is not effective and raises the problem of environmental pollution and poisoning of non-target animals.
Secondly, various rabbit trapping devices, such as traps and trapping nets, were also used in an attempt to reduce the number of hares by catching. However, due to the large number of hares, the coverage of these rabbit trapping facilities is limited, and the effect is not obvious.
Later, the public was called on to hunt hares with bows and arrows and shotguns, and even offered high prices, but the final effect was not obvious.
In addition, the Australian government has sent bombers to bomb hares in an attempt to control the hare's population through large-scale extermination. However, this did not solve the problem at all, because after a while, the hare continued to grow in strength. So much so that later, a variety of viruses were introduced to deal with hares, but the effect could only be maintained for a period of time, and the rabbit population soon developed herd immunity. Therefore, the hare problem is still a headache for Australia.
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