Feral Animals in Australia. An environmental education and sustainability resource kit for educators

Transcription

1 An environmental education and sustainability resource kit for educators

2 Use this presentation with: associated rabbitscan teaching resources the RabbitScan May 2009 Field Excursion Guide and Data Sheet - to add to the national RabbitScan Google Maps project.

3 Teacher Notes RabbitScan has these elements: - Classroom lessons and support materials - Excursion or outdoor lessons and support materials - Links to the national RabbitScan campaign from 1st May 2009 to map rabbbits from all areas You could choose to allow, individually or as a group, the students to complete the pre-quiz before presenting this PowerPoint. Work through the PowerPoint using the interactive whiteboard, data projector or personal computers. A worksheet is provided, it contains questions and discussion points. You might choose to only print off particular questions. The question numbers actually refer to the relevant slide number. Further information can be found in other sections of this web site.

4 Feral Map Animal scats: an indicator of pest invasion

5 Can you Name all the Feral Animals in Australia? Ferals are non native animals that have been introduced to Australia. They cause a great deal of damage.

6 Did you get all of them? Could you name.. 5 Could you name..10 Could you name..20 Could you name..30 Could you name..40 Could you name..fifty six That s right, there are 56 feral animals in Australia!

7 Some of our feral animals Feral Animals in Australia

8 Some of our feral animals Feral Animals in Australia

9 Feral Animal Costs Our unique biodiversity is threatened. Major losses in our agricultural grazing and cropping lands through predation of livestock, crop damage and competition for feed. Controlling feral animals costs more than $60 million a year in Australia. $20 million is spent annually on research to find better methods of management. Reassessment of rabbit impacts by the Invasive Animals CRC suggests that the figure for rabbits is much higher, being around $200m a year.

10 The Top Nine Pests in Australia * Fox Cat Rabbits Pigs Dogs Mice Carp Goats Cane Toads $227.5m $146.0m $113.1m $106.5m $66.3m $35.6m $15.8m $7.7m $0.5m *From the McLeod report (2004)

11 Which feral Is the biggest problem in Australia (in economic terms). Has the ability to adapt successfully to most Australian habitats. Was such a serious problem that many farms were abandoned in the past. From 24 in 1859, the population had increased to an estimated 10 billion by Can breed from a single pair to 184 individuals in 18 months. In 1950 a virus was used to successfully kill 99.8%. In a new virus reduced populations by more than 50% in the arid areas of Australia.

12 The correct answer is RABBITS Family: Leporidae Scientific names: Oryctolagus cuniculus

13 Mum, Dad and Babies Question 1. Mother rabbits are called? DOES Question 2. Father rabbits are called? BUCKS Question 3. Baby rabbits are called? KITTENS

14 What do rabbits Eat? Many plants including crops, pasture and roots. Rabbits consume an average of gms daily but can consume up to 600gms a day.

15 How Far Do Rabbits Move? Daily movements are usually m from the warren. The distance travelled will increase up to 1500m when food is scarce. The distance travelled will decrease during the breeding season.

16 How Did They Get Here? The European rabbit is native to the Mediterranean. Some Rabbits were brought to Australia with the First Fleet in Rabbits were first released into the wild in Additional releases were made later in the 1800 s to almost all other states.

17 Breeding Sexual maturity is reached at 3-4 months of age. Rabbits are pregnant for days. Main breeding season is determined by rainfall and growth of plants. Rabbits can breed at any time provided they have sufficient feed. Does can produce up to eight litters in a year. Average litter size is 4 or 5 but rises to about 8 by the end of the season.

18 How Many Kittens? One doe can produce young in a season. One doe can be responsible for the production of over 100 rabbits in one breeding season.

19 Breeding Like Rabbits 2 Rabbits To 184 Rabbits in 18 Months 14 weeks 14 weeks 14 weeks 14 weeks 14 weeks

20 What Damage do Rabbits Cause? Biodiversity impact Rabbits eat grasses, tree and shrub seedlings. Common trees and shrubs are not able to regenerate. Natural biodiversity will decline as older trees die.

21 What Damage do Rabbits Cause? Productivity impacts Rabbits eat pasture grasses and other vegetation, which adds to the grazing pressure of farm animals; Every 9-10 rabbits can eat as much as 1 sheep Rabbits eat vegetation, which keeps soil in place; bare soil is easily eroded; erosion by wind and water, moves bare soil into waterways; impeding waterflow in waterways and reducing water quality 9-10 rabbits = 1DSE (dry sheep equivalent).

22 Damage to native plants Native plants are essential for biodiversity and for reducing impacts of climate change; rabbit destruction of native vegetation adds to climate change impacts

23 Damage to Native Fauna Rabbits have an impact on many native fauna either directly through competition for food or shelter, or indirectly through environmental modification. Rabbits destroy or take over native animal habitat A farm paddock. The blue dots are rabbit burrows.

24 Damage to Native Fauna Rabbits have been linked to the decline of native species including the Bilby and the Bandicoot.

25 How Do We Control Rabbits? Historical methods include rabbit-proof fencing, shooting, poisoning and ripping of warrens and biological controls, using a virus that only affects rabbits.

26 Poisoning Rabbits can be baited. Poisonous baits are laid in the rabbit infested area. A trail of freshly laid carrot baits.

27 Ripping Using machinery to destroy the warrens.

28 Explosion Devices The rabbit burrows are collapsed using explosives.

29 The Rodenator The Rodenator is a new tool that injects a mix of oxygen and propane into the warren which is then ignited.

30 Exclusion Fencing Farmers use rabbit proof fences to lock rabbits out of their paddocks. The fence needs to be buried to stop rabbits burrowing under it.

31 Shooting / Trapping / Ferreting

32 Fumigation The poison gas is pumped into the warren to kill the rabbits. It s best to dog the area first. Dogging is letting dogs run around the warren area to scare the rabbits into the burrows first.

33 Biological Controls Biological Controls such as Myxomatosis or Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) (formally calicivirus). A rabbit showing signs of myxomatosis. Note the swollen eye area.

34 Predation Predation plays an insignificant role in population control especially in more heavily populated areas. Predators include fox, cat, dog, ravens, goanna, snakes and a number of avian species with the most effective being the wedge-tailed eagle, goshawks, falcons and barn owls.

35 What now? Boys collect rabbit dung from near school grounds on their RabbitScan excursion.

36 We re goin on a rabbit hunt! As a class you can now organise to participate in the national RabbitScan during May Visit a rabbit infested area and complete the survey then send it in to be recorded or input data direct to the website You could also complete your own Rabbit Scan on your own farm or in a bush area nearby. We need as many sites as you can manage to help us reach a target of 5000 sites across Australia. We are trying to locate all the rabbit warrens in Australia - can you help us?

37 The National RabbitScan Project Follow the link to sign up for the National RabbitScan Add your local rabbit count and data to the National RabbitScan Google Map from 1st May 2009 on