The European Rabbit
The rabbit is not native to the UK but was introduced over a thousand years ago by the Normans for food. The rabbit eventually became a pest and is now the most commonly seen wild mammal. The rabbit was persecuted, which reached its peak with the introduction of myxomatosis in the 1950s. Myxomatosis a virus, severely curtailed the population, fortunately for the species, some became immune, however there are still random outbreaks of the disease.
The rabbit can rapidly increase it number, due to its prolific breeding pattern, easily producing a dozen annually. Breeding can occur throughout the year but primarily happens between January and June. Rabbits are not monogamous the males (bucks) mating with several females (does).
Damage:
The increasingly high rabbit population, post-myxomatosis, is causing concern and there are very few agricultural crops which do not receive attention from rabbits. Crops which suffer most damage are grass, cereals, brassicas and root crops. In addition rabbits can inflict great damage to orchards by stripping bark. Young trees are particularly at risk in plantations and conservation areas. Damage to grass is not as spectacular as damage to cereals but can be more serious.
It has been estimated that the total cost of rabbit damage to agricultural crops in Britain in 1984 was between £95 and £120 million annually - a figure which does not include the costs of the annual control effort - with the potential to rise to between £240 and £400 million annually.
Wild rabbits are commonly appear in all parts of the district, and even seen on the road at night while driving. Some time creates problems for farmers eating their crops and seeds at sowing season. The Rabbits have a life span of about 2-5 years. These animals, which weigh from about 1 to 5 kg (about 2 to 11 lb) and attain a length of about 30 to 60 cm (about 12 to 24 in), feed mainly on herbs, tree bark, and vegetables. They prefer to live in regions where the soil is loose and dry and where brushwood offers shelter.
Rabbits have a fast reproductive rate. They are prolific. They can have five litters of up to seven young per year. The young are born with their eyes closed and lack fur. The mother hides them in a nest, which she covers with a blanket of grass before she leaves to feed. The babies are mature in four or five months.
The males have nothing to do with
the upbringing of the young. Rabbits are born blind, furless and deaf, for their
safety they are kept underground. After four weeks they emerge as miniature
copies of the adults, themselves being able to breed after sixteen weeks.
Six rabbits can eat as much as a sheep in one day.
When you multiply that by thousands it is a considerable amount of food being consumed.
Advanced Rodent Control.