h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is another rabbit disease (Rabit Calicivirus Disease) which was released in New Zealand to try to control the wild rabbit population (I've seen pictures where you can hardly see the grass for the rabbits!). It was brought into the country illegally by desperate farmers, and because they released it at the wrong time, a lot of rabbits are now resistant to it.

Calicivirus was first released in Australia, apparantly by accident and proved to be very effective. It killed off many rabbits in Australia's wetter areas, but it wasn't very effective in the dryer areas. Many areas of Southern Australia like the Flinder's Ranges have actually got grass growing in large amounts for the first time in years.

Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to introduce foxes or something that dines on rabbit, than diseases, which I can't help but think might mutate to endanger better loved species (such as man)? What are all those dingoes doing in Australia - do they dine exclusively on Meryl Streep's progeny these and turn their noses up at a good rabbit entree?

Foxes eat rabbits but as they are also feral pests here, the expansion of their population is not considered a good idea. Dingoes also eat rabbits but between them they do not cut down on the rabbit population enough for it to noticeable.