Modern rabbit controls

Currently, all Western Australian land owners are required to maintain control over the rabbit population on their property. There are many ways to control rabbits, including more traditional methods such as trapping, shooting, poisoning and destroying rabbit warrens, in addition to modern biological controls such as the myxomatosis and calicivirus diseases.

Vertebrate Pest Research Services (VPRS) is a section of the Department of Agriculture of Western Australia and has been in existence for over 30 years. It has been instrumental in developing a lot of control techniques for vertebrate pests in WA - particularly wild dog and fox control, and the control of the rabbit.

The VPRS also carries out research into new biological controls such as fertility control which in future may be used in conjuction with current methods.