Rabbit day slammed

Alex de Vos
Environmentalists have slammed a festival celebrating 150 years since rabbits were introduced to Geelong.
Hosted by the National Trust of Victoria, The Barwon Park Rabbit Day on October 11 will commemorate the anniversary with a variety of rabbit-themed activities and displays.
Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary’s Peter Sullivan believed the introduction of one of Australia’s most destructive pests was not something to celebrate.
“Rabbits have done a lot of environmental damage in terms of burrowing and erosion,” Mr Sullivan said.
“It’s not something that would be celebrated as far as Australian wildlife conservation is concerned.”
Geelong Environment Council’s Joan Lindros also slammed the event.
“It shouldn’t be a celebration – it should be a wake,” Ms Lindros said.
“It should be an opportunity to look at the degradation rabbits have caused and make an extra commitment to contain them as much as possible.”
She described the introduction of rabbits to Australia an “absolute tragedy”.
“It’s been a disaster for this country not only for our wildlife but also for the farmer – many species are now extinct because of the rabbit.”
However, a National Trust of Victoria spokesperson said the organisation recognised the “disastrous” impact of rabbits on Australia’s native flora and fauna.
The spokesperson said the event was designed to raise community awareness and understanding of the environmental impacts of introduced species.
“It’s not just about commemorating the 150th anniversary of the introduction of rabbits at Barwon Park,” the spokesperson said.
“The disastrous import of rabbits brought havoc to the Australian bush and its native flora and fauna, but also taught us valuable lessons in environmental management and protection.
“Understanding the historical context of rabbit introduction assists us to understand that many of our current problems are linked to things that happened in the past.”
In 1859, Thomas Austin, the first occupant of Barwon Park near Winchelsea, ordered 12 pairs of rabbits from England for sporting purposes.
Mr Austin was not the first person to bring rabbits to Australia, but was responsible for spreading the invasive species through Geelong.