Committee member Paul Le Cerf told NOTA the rabbit problem was “enormous”.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

“It’s not just here. You see them in backyards and going under fences,” Mr Le Cerf said.

“They have been getting into town and they are all around the (Bowraville) preschool.

“They dig a burrow and breed. If they get down to the creek then we will never get rid of them.”

Nambucca Valley Council General Manager Bede Spannagle confirmed Council’s commitment to the plan.

“We will work with the Rec Club and Local Land Services to eradicate the rabbits,” he told NOTA.

Local Land Services (LLS) told NOTA their role is to advise and educate landholders on control methods.

According to LLS, the two major methods in use in NSW are “Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV), or Calcivirus, a naturally occurring biocontrol agent that is harmless to humans, native wildlife, and vaccinated domestic rabbits” and the chemical pindone, a poison used to cull young rabbits which limits impacts on non-target species.

“All landholders must be accredited with an AQF3 Chemical Accreditation or Vertebrate Pesticides Induction Training (VPIT) training certification to be able to acquire and use pindone or RHDV,” a spokesperson said.

“Landholders are also required to display signage on their properties, such as on gates and fences, to notify the public when pesticide control is happening.”

Mr Le Cerf said rabbits had caused damage to greens and other areas of the Bowraville sporting facility.

“But it’s not just a problem for us, rabbits are a problem for everyone,” he said.

“Australia has spent zillions of dollars to get rid of rabbits because they became a plague, causing extensive damage to agricultural land.”

Some Bowraville residents have expressed concern that culling the rabbits will pose a danger to local children and pets, however Mr Le Cerf is adamant the plan will be enacted safely.

“We will follow an established protocol and there will be no danger to other species or humans,” Mr Le Cerf assured NOTA.

Other locals told NOTA that the rabbits were “not a problem” but rather a drawcard to the area and many loved to see them hopping about on the golf course.

Richard Hicks, a former greenskeeper at Bowraville facility, said rabbits had been mostly eradicated from the site about a decade ago after reaching large numbers prior.

“We didn’t really worry about them at first until they started digging up one of the golf greens and then the bowlers got upset because they started digging up the bowling lawns,” he told NOTA.

“You would walk out in the evening and maybe see 50 rabbits at that time.”

Back at the Bowraville Recreation Club, Paul Le Cerf said the feral pests cannot be ignored and allowed to breed in the wild.

“If people want to own a rabbit, they should get one and keep it in their own backyard,” he said.

By Ned COWIE