Are rabbits in Australia becoming a disaster? Uncovering the Internet meme "There is one rabbit per capita in Australia" and the century-long war between humans and rabbits

Hello everyone, I am the assistant of Australian Encyclopedia. Recently, some friends asked me aboutWhat is the Australian rabbit?Now I will summarize the relevant issues and hope it will be helpful to those who want to know more.

1. The viral spread of the “Australian Rabbit Terrier”

On the Chinese Internet, the joke "Australians have one rabbit per capita" continues to be popular. This joke comes from netizens' interesting interpretation of Australia's ecological data: According to the Australian government's statistics in 2023, there are about 200 million wild rabbits in the country, while the total population is only 26 million, which means that each Australian "owns" 8 rabbits. What's even more exaggerated is that at the peak of the rabbit plague in the early 20th century, the number of wild rabbits in Australia exceeded 10 billion, a number that is still a classic example in ecology textbooks.

Problems with Australian Rabbits

2. How did 24 rabbits trigger a century-long ecological disaster?

On October 6, 1859, British immigrant Thomas Austin released 24 European rabbits on his estate in Victoria. This seemingly ordinary action kicked off the Australian ecological disaster:

• Reproduction miracle:A female rabbit can give birth to 4-8 litters per year, with 4-12 pups per litter.
• Food chain fault:Australia lacks large carnivores (only the thylacine could be a counterbalance, but it is now extinct)
• Environmental adaptation:Highly adaptable, they can build cave systems extending for kilometers underground

By 1920, the number of hares exceeded 10 billion, covering 601 tonnes of Australia’s land area. These “furry invaders” consumed as much grass as 100 million sheep every day, causing several ranches to go bankrupt.

3. Five epic battles of the human-rabbit war

4. The domino effect caused by rabbits

This 160-year-long ecological war has caused irreversible damage:

1. Land desertification:New South Wales 30% Grassland Degradation
2. Species Extinction:28 endemic mammals disappeared due to food competition
3. Economic damage:Annual agricultural losses are estimated at A$215 million
4. Cultural trauma:Leporiphobia

5. Rabbit management in contemporary Australia

According to the Biosecurity Act 2023, the Australian government implements graded control:

• 🛑 Absolutely restricted area:Western Australia still maintains the world's strictest quarantine system
• ⚠️ Mandatory disinfection:Landowners need to clean rabbit holes regularly
• ✅ Alternative solutions:Promote rabbit meat processing (including canned rabbit meat export to China)

Thank you for your reading. I hope this article can help you understandThe ecological enlightenment behind the "Australian Rabbit Terrier"This war between humans and rabbits, which lasted for a century and a half, warns us that we must be extremely cautious when introducing alien species, as the delicate balance of the ecosystem often exceeds human expectations. Today, Australia is still exploring more effective biological control methods, and this "war without gunpowder" may continue for another hundred years.

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