Australia- I'm looking at you crossways

[colddiesel]

Myxomatosis was not so effective in Australia against rabbits as in Europe because firstly we lack the rabbit flea (the vector) which requires a damp climate.

Calcivirus produced a much more complete kill but resistance is starting to develop.

I once went shooting rabbits on a property in western Queensland, one man - not me, shot 153 rabbits and 3 roos in an hour. We had to give it up because the guns got too hot to handle. Afterwards a scientist who was part of the party calculated on that property alone, more rabbits were born during our shoot than we shot.

Feral animals are a disaster in Australia. We have about 2 million feral horses, 20 million wild pigs 4 million donkeys 7 million goats 10 million cats and foxes, 7 million dogs, even 300,000 camels; none are native. Controlling that lot in a country the same size as the contiguous USA with a population less than that of Texas ain't easy.

Added to that, we cull about 4 to 5 million 'roos annually and even shoot a few emu which makes us unique in shooting both animals on our national coat of arms.

We don't shoot Croc's or kill most sharks, they're protected.

I have a fairly small country property, about 8000 acres, useless dry scrub mainly. I don't shoot much these days but in 2011 I shot 54 feral cats and 40 foxes as well as a few 'roos for the freezer.

And Candiass, even you would kill a cane toad.

 

[oggbashan]

Just another mess British Imperialism left others to deal with

First India, then bunnies.

One stupid idiot introduced rabbits to Australia.

We Brits don't have a monopoly of stupid idiots who release non-native wildlife, but Australia has suffered more than most countries from it.

 

[CandiCame]

We have a population of around 24,000,000.
Discount kids and elderly, and that leaves about 8,000,000 adults.
Take away the 80% that live in the cities and have probably never seen a rabbit apart from Mopsy, and you're left with about 1,600,000.
Now, lets assume that about 5% of those have ever handled a rifle... now we're down to 80,000.

So, we have about 80,000 people to shoot nearly 200,000,000 bunnies.
That's 2,500 rabbits per person.

How long do you think it would take to shoot 2,500 rabbits?

I'm gonna say at the rate we took out warrens this fall- about 50 hours- averaging about 40-60 pelts an hour with the live traps that seal in and tunnel warrens- you take out warrens at a time, not individual rabbits. I understand that they breed quickly, but my point is, that they're so easily domesticated and well... stupid- that in my neck of the woods there's no such thing as to many rabbits. It sounds like your problem isn't to many rabbits- it's a fucked-up ecosystem all together. How the fuck do they have no predators if there are a million feral cats roaming around? Cats eat rabbits all day long- and any other rodent that doesn't put up much of a fight.

Again, my thing was never "don't kill rabbits" it was "don't use unnecessary germ warfare on rabbits". And the idea that you would flank a rabbit is as retarded as flanking a squirrle- you can kill rodents with a fucking pellet gun or a .22 or something, you don't bring out heavy shit to shoot rodents. WTF? Most rabbits are caught and butchered en mas via warren trappings- all Watership Down and shit;

If you wanna see fucked up shit happen to rabbits, read that book. But yeah, the vast majority of shit on them does talk about how this disease was manufactured, like GS said. The rabbits were imported from Britain- because they were good eating- and it seems like Australia's climate can't handle anything. They brought all kinds of shit over here now to, and you don't see us bitching about it. If it's edible or- honestly, if it's hydrogenated, we'll find a way to kill and eat it.

I'm not saying that's good- we've wiped out entire species in the process, though most of them were bugs who died from the Earthworms taking over, but I fucking hate bugs, and having a few fewer varieties of corn hasn't killed us yet. Also, I hate factory farming, and what we didn't kill off completely we torture for no good reason.

I'm not at all saying ours is any better- I'm just saying that I own up to it and try to change it-

Huh, just did an interwebs search and found out that the US isn't the only country to factor farm- Australia does it to- but only for one animal.

This'in.

http://www.radicalrabbit.org/Factory_Farming/imag015.jpg

Now- WTF is that? Seriously- we're assholes and we've accepted that- but y'hall already have a rabbit surplus to harvest in the wild and you're factory farming them?

Australia- dude, why so much hate for the bunnies?

 

[warrior queen]

I guess you missed the part where I said that feral rabbits were destroying the habitat of some very endangered species.
That's why we hate on bunnies.

 

[warrior queen]

Myxomatosis was not so effective in Australia against rabbits as in Europe because firstly we lack the rabbit flea (the vector) which requires a damp climate.

Calcivirus produced a much more complete kill but resistance is starting to develop.

I once went shooting rabbits on a property in western Queensland, one man - not me, shot 153 rabbits and 3 roos in an hour. We had to give it up because the guns got too hot to handle. Afterwards a scientist who was part of the party calculated on that property alone, more rabbits were born during our shoot than we shot.

Feral animals are a disaster in Australia. We have about 2 million feral horses, 20 million wild pigs 4 million donkeys 7 million goats 10 million cats and foxes, 7 million dogs, even 300,000 camels; none are native. Controlling that lot in a country the same size as the contiguous USA with a population less than that of Texas ain't easy.

Added to that, we cull about 4 to 5 million 'roos annually and even shoot a few emu which makes us unique in shooting both animals on our national coat of arms.

We don't shoot Croc's or kill most sharks, they're protected.

I have a fairly small country property, about 8000 acres, useless dry scrub mainly. I don't shoot much these days but in 2011 I shot 54 feral cats and 40 foxes as well as a few 'roos for the freezer.

And Candiass, even you would kill a cane toad.

Actually, we do shoot both crocs and sharks, but you'll never hear about it in the mainstream media.
I went out with a croc-hunter in the NT for a few months. He had a license that allowed him to shoot 25 crocs a season for skins.
And fishermen shoot/kill sharks all the time. Again, I worked on a tuna boat, so I saw this first hand.

 

[CandiCame]

I guess you missed the part where I said that feral rabbits were destroying the habitat of some very endangered species.
That's why we hate on bunnies.

Nah, I understand it, I just can't get past the adorableness. See, in America, it's the cuteness of the creature, not the biodiversity of the ecosystem that matters.

I got nothing. I was in a bad mood last night. I guess I should take this opportunity to officially apologize to the Australian people, but I still love bunnies and dislike factory farming and germ warfare- so I don't know what you want me to do. I got no answer. I'm that pot that's always calling the kettle black.

 

[warrior queen]

Nah, I understand it, I just can't get past the adorableness. See, in America, it's the cuteness of the creature, not the biodiversity of the ecosystem that matters.

I got nothing. I was in a bad mood last night. I guess I should take this opportunity to officially apologize to the Australian people, but I still love bunnies and dislike factory farming and germ warfare- so I don't know what you want me to do. I got no answer. I'm that pot that's always calling the kettle black.

Feral bunnies are far from adorable.
Mangy, worm-ridden things they are.
They are one of two feral animals I actually swerve to hit when driving.
The other is feral cats.

 

[John Doe]

I'm actually cool with the Advent Children plan- just not the whole 'painful death for no reason' plan. The same reason I hate factory farms. It doesn't have to be hunting- but with the rabbit herpes, you could still sell them in the States, if it doesn't cause side-effects in humans equal to or greater then that of a bacon double cheeseburger. Because, for some reason that we can't really explain- that pisses me right off- animal cruelty is wrong- unless it results in something delicious. Seriously. Livestock animals are exceptions from the Animal Cruelty laws. Help me figure that one out, to- it's equally depressing.

Vegetarians and suchlike don't understand it because animal flesh contains the nutrients the human brain requires to understand it.

 

[fair_warning]

How long do you think it would take to shoot 2,500 rabbits?

Probably the same length of time it would take 2500 rabbits to turn into 2500 million of the fuckers.

 

[CandiCame]

Vegetarians and suchlike don't understand it because animal flesh contains the nutrients the human brain requires to understand it.

I see. You know- it's the meat that's making you so aggressive.

That's the bloodlust.

*launches into boring anti-factory farm routine about how they torture animals and give the people who eat them cancer*
*lights cigarette & inhales deeply*

 

[John Doe]

I see. You know- it's the meat that's making you so aggressive.

That's the bloodlust.

*launches into boring anti-factory farm routine about how they torture animals and give the people who eat them cancer*
*lights cigarette & inhales deeply*

That was a test to see if you knew what you're talking about. As usual you don't.

The real answer is that the cruelty makes the meat taste better.

 

[CandiCame]

That was a test to see if you knew what you're talking about. As usual you don't.

The real answer is that the cruelty makes the meat taste better.

Wait- you're a robot- you don't even have taste buds.

 

[John Doe]

Wait- you're a robot- you don't even have taste buds.

My lack of taste allows me to touch the true zen of flavor.

 

[warrior queen]

My lack of taste allows me to touch the true zen of flavor.

I have an excellent sense of flavour.
Matt Preston, who I met some years ago and remain in touch with, said I would make an excellent food critic.
Which leads me to this... I will try any food 3 times before I decide I really don't like it, and rabbit is one that I just can't aquire a taste for.
Doesn't matter how it's been prepared, I simply do not like the flavour.

 

[CandiCame]

My lack of taste allows me to touch the true zen of flavor.

The secret ingredient is LSD.

Or people.

I can't remember.

6 of one. *shrugs*

 

[KingOrfeo]

Kill the wabbits! Kill the wabbits! Kill the wabbits! [to the tune of "Entrance of the Valkyries"]

Wait, that's what you need! Spears and Magic Helmets!

 

[John Doe]

I have an excellent sense of flavour.
Matt Preston, who I met some years ago and remain in touch with, said I would make an excellent food critic.
Which leads me to this... I will try any food 3 times before I decide I really don't like it, and rabbit is one that I just can't aquire a taste for.
Doesn't matter how it's been prepared, I simply do not like the flavour.

Sensing a flavor denies its reality.