Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1893-03-03
AUSTRALIANS RABBIT
PLAGUE.

1AhN' v ASs
In 1862 an knglish resident oil
Victoria imported several pairs oi
common rabbits frsm his own coun-
try and set to work breeding thsm
in the interest of Australian sports
masship. His friends and 40
quaintanoss applsudsd his public
spirit, ssd the people of the colo
ny regarded Linn as 4 public bsns-
factor. As his stock Of the rabbits
increased, frequent requests for a
pair or Two came TO him from ali
parts of .hs country. In q short
time several dozens of Australian
sportsman were enlisted in tho
good cause of replsnishing in this
manner Australia's failing supply
OF game. They met with such
pre-sninent suceess that within
twelve years rabbits had bssoms
80 numerous as to bs univsrsally
regarded As 4 public nuisance. The
custom grew up among the farm
srs and sheep owners OF organiz-
ing rabbit drives, and a common
result was the killing Of from
S., ZOO to 10000 Of tho psstifsrous
animals In = single day. The rab-
bits, nevertheless, went on incrsaR-
ing at prodigious rate.
80 destructive to pasturags asd
vegetation generally had they be-
come in 1880, and so universal was
the complaint against them that
the Australian Government passed
IAN act to provids for the suppress
sion of rabbits" appointing bail
itfs whose duty 1t was to destroy
tksm en- crown lands, and to see
that all walls, brush piles and what
even OF like nature might afford
them harborags were removed.
They were also empowered to do
likewise with oil other lands at the
cost OF the occupants, provided the
occupants failsd to do so. The kill
iag OF certain oarnivorous wild AMI
mails, hitherto considered an un-
questioned evil, was likewise mad g
illegal on the ground that they as
sisted in the determination OF the
pest. But the msasasss proved ut
tsrly futile. A large unoceupisd
tract of country, supposed to be
their main breeding ground WAS
fenced off in 1888 by a woven wire
fence 81 feet high. The bottom of
this fence was buried to q depth OF
SIX inches so as to prevent burror-
ing under it. To stop jumping
bsrbsd wire was stretched six IN
chss above th. top Of the fence.
1t required 1877 miles of this fsne-
ing, and two years later it was sI-
tended $50 miles futbsr to cut off
ingrsss from another direction.
That this sxpsdisnt brought little
relief appears in the fact that in
1887 the government Of New South
Wslap offered a rswsrs OF 25,000
pounds sterling to any person who
would dsviss or suggest a msthsd
or s1psdispt for ridding the coun-
try Of rabbits. A commission OF
twelve from the several Australian
colonies was appointed to pass upon
the 400 plans submitted and re-
isotsd every one OF them.
Mr.. Austin's weakness for I'm
gIish rabbit huntIng has cost Aus
tralia enormously in public monsy
expended in lighting tss peat, no.
to speak OF tho enormous los.ss
suffered by individuals from its de-
yastatioas. An oflelal report on
the subject places the amount OF
public money thus s1pcnd-
ed by Victoris, Now South
Whales and South Australia down
to Decemb Der, 1890, at nearly 4,000,-
coo pounds sterling or $4,000,
600. Private expenditures in the
same direction must also have bssn
considerable, One gentleman so