Rabbits Infesting Increasingly Large Country Districts

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 78, 4 August 1950, Page 3

Rabbits Infesting Increasingly Large Country Districts

The past year had shown a remarkable advance in the constitution of additional rabbit districts, particularly in the back country areas of the South Island where previously there had been intense opposition to board control, states the annual report of the Department of Agriculture. The trend, it is stated, can be attributed to the continued low prices ruling for rabbitskins and carcases; the realisation by farmers that eventual control of the pest could be achieved only through the agency of rabbit boards conducting a vigorous, planned, all-the-year-round “killer” policy; the availability of finance to boards in districts of low stock-carrying capacity, thus enabling a killer policy to be put into effect; and the work of the Rabbit Destruction Council, with the co-operation of officers of the Department of Agriculture, in sponsoring and guilding the development of rabbit district formation.

At March 31, 1950, 149 rabbit boards were operating—an increase of 37 on the previous year’s figures ■ —covering an area of 25 million acres and involving about 32,000 ratepayers.

A mild winter followed by a dry spring and summer provided an uninterrupted breeding season for rabbits. This fully taxed all the resources of established boards and in some instances, because of shortage of labour, a slight deterioration in the control of the pest was evident. In areas outside rabbit districts and in recently constituted rabbit districts heavy infestation was common. Many of the new boards had the greatest difficulty in making progress and shortage of efficient labour seriously handicapped activities.