Rabbit population has hit several areas in Sydney as thousands of them have been spotted at Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai, Manly, Pittwater, Warringah, Ryde, Parramatta, The Hills and Lane Cove municipalities.

The wait is on for mosquito and flies to increase so that rabbit-killing calcivirus can be spread. The State Government’s Cumberland Livestock Health and Pest Authority are still waiting for this to happen.

According to Cumberland LHPA ranger and rabbit project leader Steve Parker the authority is busy testing these rabbits to see that these rabbits are not immune to the calicivirus, which is also called rabbit hemorrhagic disease
(RHD).

Parker added, “For the release of RHD to work, the environmental conditions need to be favorable and there should be no, or very low, resistance to the disease in the rabbit population.”

Parker stated that end of February was the time due for number of mosquitoes and flies to increase for spreading the virus.

Rabbit owners are being warned to get their pet vaccinated against the disease.