Monitor rabbits in your local area using RabbitScan

RabbitScan is a free community resource that can provide woolgrowers and other community decision makers with accurate and timely information about the distribution and problems associated with rabbits. This information is valuable for guiding local management decisions on how and when to control the pest animals. 

AWI encourages all landholders to monitor their rabbit populations and report through RabbitScan rabbit sightings, activity and control outcomes. The more people in a local area that use RabbitScan, the more useful it becomes. 

What to record 

• Rabbit activity, such as sightings and warrens 
• Damage, such as soil erosion 
• Control activities, such as warren destruction
• Disease in rabbit populations, such as RHDV. 

Benefits of using RabbitScan 

• Develop a property or local area map of rabbit activity to guide control efforts 
• Work together with your neighbours (and local authorities) to undertake coordinated control 
• Notify your local community or landholder group about rabbit activity and disease presence
• Send alerts to nominated people, such as neighbours or biosecurity authorities. 

RabbitScan is available as an interactive website and mobile phone app, both of which have been designed to be simple to use. 

RabbitScan is part of the FeralScan™ suite of tools for monitoring pest animals (see the box below). It receives funding from AWI, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry and NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) through the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS). 

RabbitScan is available as an interactive website and mobile phone app. 

Free rabbit disease testing service 

You can assist in the monitoring of rabbit disease across Australia by not only reporting dead rabbits you find in your local area, but also submitting samples of the dead rabbits for testing. This free rabbit disease testing service is carried out in a partnership between CSIRO, NSW DPIRD and CISS. Once the sample has been tested, you will notified of the results (e.g. RHDV and strain, or myxomatosis) via email. 

To request a free sample kit, head to RabbitScan at www.rabbitscan.org.au and click the green ‘Report Disease’ button, which opens a Rabbit Disease Map. Click ‘Record Data’ on the top left corner and enter as much information as you can, including your postal address at question 7, then click ‘Submit’ when finished. A sampling kit (with instructions) and a reply paid envelope will be sent to you to submit your sample. Contact the RabbitScan/FeralScan coordinator for assistance if required – the contact details are available on the website. 

While your sample kit is being posted to you, place the dead rabbit in a sealed and labelled plastic bag in your freezer. If the entire rabbit cannot be stored, retain only the liver or a hind-leg and follow the instructions when they arrive in the mail. Remember to always wear gloves when handling animals, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. 

More information: www.rabbitscan.org.au