The diet of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in south-eastern Australia and the potential effects of rabbit haemorrhagic disease

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Saunders ◽  
Mani Berghout ◽  
Barry Kay ◽  
Barbara Triggs ◽  
Remy van de Ven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Environmental Event ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

Prior to the spread of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) across Australian, concern was expressed that foxes (Vulpes vulpes) would prey more heavily on native wildlife and livestock should the disease cause dramatic reductions in rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) numbers. In this study we compared the incidence of food items in the stomachs of 240 foxes and 269 foxes collected before and after the arrival of RHD respectively. No dramatic RHD-induced differences in fox diet were detected in this study. It appeared that one widespread environmental event (drought), was closely followed by another (RHD), which may have masked any change in reliance on rabbit or dietary shift to other prey species.

scholarly journals Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: the new scourge of Oryctolagus cuniculus

1997 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Chasey
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Accidental Release ◽  
Domestic Rabbit ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Subsequent Exposure ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Very High ◽  
Infectious Condition ◽  
Important Disease

A new, widespread and important disease of rabbits, rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), is concisely reviewed and discussed. RHD is an acute, infectious condition of adult rabbits and morbidity and mortality, after a relatively short incubation period, can be very high. The disease appears typically as a necrotizing hepatitis with associated haemorrhaging, and death occurs as a result of generalized organ dysfunction. RHD is caused by a calicivirus, antigenically related to a similar virus found in brown hares but distinct from other known caliciviruses, and is spread to susceptible rabbits by a number of routes and vectors. The disease is easily identified and can be effectively controlled in commercial and domestic rabbit populations by slaughter and vaccination regimes. The occurrence of pre-existing cross-reacting antibody in a proportion of rabbits unchallenged by the disease implies the presence of non-pathogenic strains of the virus. This antibody protects against disease on subsequent exposure to RHD. Uniquely, pre-existing antibody does not occur in rabbits in Australia where, after accidental release, the virus is currently spreading rapidly.

scholarly journals Increased virulence of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus associated with genetic resistance in wild Australian rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus )

Virology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 464-465 ◽  
pp. 415-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Elsworth ◽  
Brian D. Cooke ◽  
John Kovaliski ◽  
Ronald Sinclair ◽  
Edward C. Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Virus ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Genetic Resistance ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

Longevity record for a wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from South Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Peacock ◽  
Ron G. Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
South Australia ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
Birth Date ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
European Rabbits ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

A population of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been monitored since November 1996 through mark–recapture as part of a longitudinal epidemiological study into two Australian rabbit biocontrol agents, rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) and myxomatosis. A female rabbit, first captured as a subadult in late November 1999, was recaptured 18 times before its final capture at the end of February 2007. The longevity of this rabbit, being from its calculated birth date to the date it was last captured, was 7.6 years. A review of the literature indicates this to be the longest lifespan recorded for a European rabbit in the wild.

Efficacy of a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for estimating prevalence of immunity to rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) in populations of Australian wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 635 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. McPhee ◽  
D. Berman ◽  
A. Gonzales ◽  
K. L. Butler ◽  
J. Humphrey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Virus ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus ◽  
Diagnostic Specificity ◽  
Predictive Equations ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Lethal Doses

This study examines the efficacy of a cELISA in estimating the prevalence of immunity to rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) in wild rabbits in Australia. Rabbits (n = 343) captured from six locations in Victoria and Queensland were experimentally challenged with a lethal oral dose (1500 50%-lethal doses, LD50) of RHDV. Death or survival to challenge was used to determine the performance characteristics of the test. The diagnostic specificity, sensitivity and accuracy were highly variable between sites, making it difficult to select a representative cut-off value for all sites that achieved a reasonable level of accuracy for the prediction of surviving and non-surviving rabbits. Estimates of prevalence of immunity were biased owing to effects of site of capture (time of capture) and age structure of the population. Using predictive equations, the best estimates of survival were ±10% but these results came from a limited range of sites, all of which had survival in the range 49–70%. The cELISA will determine whether the RHDV is present in rabbit populations but it should be used with caution when estimating the prevalence of immunity to RHDV. The cELISA may thus be limited in its application for examining the epidemiology of RHDV in Australian rabbit populations.

Is wedge-tailed eagle, Aquila audax, survival and breeding success closely linked to the abundance of European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus?

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Olsen ◽  
Brian Cooke ◽  
Susan Trost ◽  
David Judge
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

Context Some ecologists argue that nesting success and abundance of wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax) are strongly linked to the abundance of introduced wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Consequently, concerns were expressed about eagle population viability when the biological control agent rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) heavily reduced rabbit numbers. However, observations following the spread of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) in Australia and Spain (where Aquila adalberti is an equivalent of A. audax) question this assertion. Eagle numbers did not fall even though rabbits declined regionally by up to 90% in both countries. Aims To reconsider the assumption of a strong link between rabbit abundance and wedge-tailed eagle breeding and population maintenance. Dispelling misconceptions, if any, about the eagles’ dependence on rabbits would benefit the future management of both eagles and rabbits. Methods We reviewed the literature associated with claims that eagles were heavily dependent on rabbits and asked whether these views could be substantiated given the lack of changes in eagle abundance following the spread of RHD. Data on eagle egg-clutch size and nesting success were also reviewed. Conclusions There is little evidence that eagles depend heavily on rabbits as prey. Instead, as rabbits decline, more kangaroos, reptiles and birds are eaten, partly because more native prey becomes available. Eagles have a high proportion of rabbits in their diets mainly where degradation of natural ecosystems, including that caused by rabbits, results in native prey being rare or unavailable. There has been minimal variation in average clutch size following major perturbations in rabbit population size. Implications Rather than perpetuating the idea that high populations of rabbits are needed for wedge-tailed eagle conservation, resources would be better re-directed into understanding continental-scale eagle population dynamics. This would provide a more rational framework to assist decisions on future biological control agents for rabbits.

Temporal dynamics of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus infection in a low-density population of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in New Zealand

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Henning ◽  
D. U. Pfeiffer ◽  
P. R. Davies ◽  
J. Meers ◽  
R. S. Morris
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Disease Virus ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Adult Survivors ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

A longitudinal capture–mark–recapture study was conducted to determine the temporal dynamics of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) in a European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) population of low to moderate density on sand-hill country in the lower North Island of New Zealand. A combination of sampling (trapping and radio-tracking) and diagnostic (cELISA, PCR and isotype ELISA) methods was employed to obtain data weekly from May 1998 until June 2001. Although rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) infection was detected in the study population in all 3 years, disease epidemics were evident only in the late summer or autumn months in 1999 and 2001. Overall, 20% of 385 samples obtained from adult animals older than 11 weeks were seropositive. An RHD outbreak in 1999 contributed to an estimated population decline of 26%. A second RHD epidemic in February 2001 was associated with a population decline of 52% over the subsequent month. Following the outbreaks, the seroprevalence in adult survivors was between 40% and 50%. During 2000, no deaths from RHDV were confirmed and mortalities were predominantly attributed to predation. Influx of seronegative immigrants was greatest in the 1999 and 2001 breeding seasons, and preceded the RHD epidemics in those years. Our data suggest that RHD epidemics require the population immunity level to fall below a threshold where propagation of infection can be maintained through the population.

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