Thread: New Rabbit virus to be introduced next Autumn

The ODT had an article about this today...

"K5" could prove effective rabbit killer | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News

Bugger.

How is it that we have the means to prevent humans reproducing, but cant seem to do it with small mammals such as rabbits and possums. ?
Poison this. Virus that....clean green nz ...tui ad

Scary shit.... nek minute - mutant immune bunnies !

Yes, they should be careful of what they wish for.
In Scotland where the population of rabbit was huge 30 years ago ( I remember my uncle would shoot close to 300 rabbits in one night once a month and would feed his hawks with the carcasses), there is now hardly anything thanks to mixomatosis and the VHD virus. To such a point that apparently people have to sell their 22's as they no longer have a good reason to own them.

Originally Posted by ebf

Scary shit.... nek minute - mutant immune bunnies !

We're gonna need a bigger boat.

What we should have is some common sense, and allow such things as these... with subsidized ammo... lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h0s_62jXuk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8nGUp5F_OA

I understand that rabbits are a real problem is some areas, but having just got back in to small game hunting and really enjoying it, can't say I'm too thrilled at this news!

Originally Posted by Pengy

How is it that we have the means to prevent humans reproducing, but cant seem to do it with small mammals such as rabbits and possums. ?

Putting condoms on rabbits and possums would be a really frustrating job

Hope mixi doesn't get released here in NZ, apparently it's a horrible way to die for the animal.

Originally Posted by Pengy

How is it that we have the means to prevent humans reproducing, but cant seem to do it with small mammals such as rabbits and possums. ?
Poison this. Virus that....clean green nz ...tui ad

have you seen how much the worlds population has grown in just the last 25 years

Someone needs to read a book called Rabbits Galore and find out about controlling rabbits the good old fashion way!

Ironically, the wife's lab group is researching methods to genetically alter female possums so that they only produce infertile males.
Fantastic science.

They should release coyotes would be way more fun to control then a virus when they get out of hand

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

yip that would be fun

Originally Posted by Tussock

If you are aware of something, you should really pass it on. The places where we used to store all the poor people are full.

It is usually referred to as `The Pill`

Originally Posted by hamsav

The only way to selectively cull rabbits is to shoot them ..... maybe Ferrets too ( dying art ?). They are survivors and no matter what biological bullet we throw at them they will overcome it eventually and bounce back with a vengeance.
I think the ,as far as the RHD virus is concerned some people ( the smug looking fuckwitts on telly ) who were mincing up dead rabbit ( RHD victims ) bits and distributing it around really fucked any chance of it working ......deliberately infecting an animal with dead virus is called vaccinating . Humans have done t successfully for years with small pox , rubella ....ect............. all they achieved was to speed up the rabbits ability to resist the disease ..... like before the follow up crew (us hunters ) could clean up the survivors. Personally I cant understand why we don't have a bounty thing going on here...........it could get a lot of people off their arses , and the hard to get to areas would be covered if the bounty price was right . Dunno if its true ( probly not ) but I head the DOC possum cull somewhere on the west coast wound up costing something like $90 per possum..........its an old argument that no one in power wants to listen to because to many fat cnuts at the top are getting paid to much to ever change things

@hamsav, mention bounties and the white shirt people go hysterical...weird, they see a bounty price and go blue in the face, yet what would the 1080 drops cost the taxpayer each year...like the possums in the 70s, etc...mention a bounty and you were looked at as if you had dog poo over your face...far cheaper in the long run and you have a willing 'work force'...

The notion of sterilization is utterly ludicrous...in my experience with possums, lead is very effective...