THE INTERCOLONIAL RABBIT COMMISSION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1958, 30 May 1889, Page 6

THE INTERCOLONIAL RABBIT COMMISSION.

Over two years ago the GOv&xmenfe of New . South JWales offered a reward of £25,000 for the discovery "of- the- most effectual and practicable mean's of eradicating rabbits. '"It was reasonably expected that the munificence of the premium offered would evoke much competition, and if no one scheme propounded proved satisfactory in its entirety*- that out of thVhbstof schemes sure to be submitted suggestions would be eliminated . of practical \- avail Subsequent to the offer of the premium the co-operation of the other Australian colonies was invited by the" NeW J .South Wales Government in order to satisfactorily effect their object.' ' The invitation wsf cordially responded to, and the; result .Was -the Intercolonial Bosal Commission'on. the rabbit, question, numbering . 11 members and including representatives frem all the colonies excepting Western Australia, whence complaints 6t .rabbit depredations x have not yet been heard/ r „,,.. At .the first; meeting of the Commissioners, among the .many questions submitted to them for investigation' was the 'lmportant one on which public attention was at the time fixed— vi»., "Whether the introduction of among rabbits .by inoculation or otnerwise, { or the propagation of diseases natural to 'rabbits' for the purpose of destroying'or promoting their destruction,- would be accompanied by danger to human or animal life. -In. this branch of the -investigations the prominent proposals for the suppression of the pest were :— ' ' 1. MI v Pastenr'a plan of inoculation with microbes of chicken cholera— a fatal malady among f owV-but which does not yet prevail in these colonies, .-, • - ' ; i 2. The destruction of rabbits by the introduction of diseased rabbits affected by a scab peculiar to the animals.! 3. A reputed New Zealand, fatality among rabbits/known in the colony as the " bladder worm disease." . _ . ■ From the voluminous report of the Commissioners* recently published, it appears there were 115 suggestions and" about 1400 definite sohemes for the eradication rof. -.the pest by means other than by contagion submitted for investigation. M.. Pasteur's reputation commanded* forjbis proposed mode of exterminating rabbits;.first consi: deration; but a difficulty arose at the.com* ; mefaceinent of the investigation irit<Kths .merits of. the scheme, as' his representatives were instructed not to disclose the secret of the process. Ultimately, ho^pver, the Com?

mlssioners ascertained hia proposal to be the destruction of the pests by the spread among ' them" of a contagious disease, and the means Ito be adopted were the inoqulation of "rabbits with cultivated microbes of chicken' cholera, the animals so infected to be turned out on infested places where tne contagion, would promptly spread. After many test experiments, under^.the supervision of .X)r Katzi'^of the Linnsean 'Society, "it was definitely ascertained that , the . chicken cholera virus is only effective -as adestruc-, tive agent when administered in food given to rabbits \ and that the contagion is not com--municabl^ otherwise 1 from ' one Subjects to another, as in ffie case of- fowls,.- A rabbit hayingpartakezibf food impregnated with the virus of ; chicken cholera will certainly die, bu\the death would, have slight 6r"\no effect bri' .'others in" the "vipinity; unless perhaps kfter the decomposition ,of the' 'diseased carGass, 1 or-: .its : disraptibn by. carrion .birds. 'The Commissioners, therefore, ".can-, no^rejoominend that permission beV'giYen to disseminate t. throughout' Australasia a' 'disease .whidh has' not been .'shown to exist to these .. colonies, and which tn i>ther, countries prevails as a. disastrous. epidemic, among "fowls, -but which has 'never been . knowh : ;to,preyail .naturally' anibng rabbitsi \ :,The proposal to effect the desired object Joy means -'of. the "rabbit -scab,",, contagious malady, is, also reported on adversely-by the. ypommissibiii. with the qualification, how:.bver,(tha,t itmightpossibly prove effective in we^bbuntjiy ; and the projector turning out rabbits affected with bladder- worm is also repxidiated,- because under the m6stfayQur r abl^oiroumstances only a -small ;pr6p6r-tibffjta:'^-infested country would be defltrpyed,while;other animals, and even human fcein'gß,i\? t b»ld incur considerable risk from the propagation and dissemination of theoriginating pause of the disease. " , The results of the investigations and test experiments instituted by the . Commia-. siofiewwarrant the conclusions stated in their report that there is no known disease communicable'to rabbits' which would by dissemination prove extensively destructive and without risk to other animals. Chicken cholera microbes administered in the" food wiirprpve fatal to rabbits, just as strychnine, arsenic, and phosphorus will ; but the objection to the cholera virus was the risk of spreading a fatal malady among domestic fowls, birds, &c, and at best the very partial action of the destiuctiye agent. He. must, therefore, fall back on the measures customarily employed to extirpate the pests. It • is here right to ' State that alter much inquiry and .: mature consideration the Commissioners utterly condemn the^bonus grants for destruction of rabbits a£d trapping' by professional-trappers— means heretofore extensively adopted' in New South. Wales, and which have been productive of gross evils and abuses. .The report, however, is- pronouncedly in favour of the compulsory erection of rabbit-proof fences, the netting'-at least;3ft high, with: £in meshes. Were such., fences,, •reoted, and occupiers of land, as well as the State for unoccupied Crown'lands,-held're-sponsible for the suppression of rabbits thereon, the Commissioners believe the ex-, tirpation of the pest would be greatly facilitated and more speedily effected.