Plague of rabbits

1. Plague of rabbits P 442

2. History of the rabbit in Australia • 24 Rabbits introduced into Australia in 1859, imported by Mr Thomas Austin of Barwon Park, near Geelong, Victoria • Rabbits bred to be used for hunting • By 1900 the rabbit had effectively covered all of Australia except the tropics.

3. But in the morning when he wakes,Oh the horror that awaits!The much prized and treasured star petHas turned into a living carpet.See them digging, jumping, hurdling,With pip-squeak squeal bloodcurdling.'Oh my god,' says Thomas Austin'This here damage don't bear costin'!'Thomas winces as he huntsShooting rabbits ten at once.But things soon get a bit too rough,For he's not shooting fast enough.Come the neighbours with their shotgunsOn the trail of the little hot ones.Kicking, shooting, punching, shovingBut the beasts not overcoming. • 1859-1951 - Our Hundred Year War Thomas Austin of GeelongHas a feeling he doesn't belong.The man is lonely, hates his farmThe place seems empty, without charm.Thomas Austin gets quite rabid -What this country needs is rabbit.Sits at desk, pulls out equipment,Writes to England for a shipment.The year is eighteen fifty-nine.Rabbits arrive in ten months time.No sooner do they disembarkThey run berserk in Barwon Park.See them hopping, leaping, jumping,Their lovable back feet thumping.See them sniffing, whiffing, scouting,Their furry fluffy cuteness flouting.Thomas Austin writes wholesaler,Rabbits really love Australia.

4. Rabbits in complete euphoria,Chomping their way through Victoria.Nothing's sweet or cute or funnyWhen it comes to Austin's bunny.Over hillocks, under fences,The countryside has no defences.The land becomes a barren floorAll the way to the Nullarbor.Nothing green has a shred of chanceFrom Coolgardie to Esperance.For the initial twenty-fourAre now a monster omnivore!Seven eat as much as a sheepAnd rabbits never oversleep.. Even facing grim starvationRabbits keep up procreation The government puts out a rewardFor some technique to halt the horde.Coleman Phillips earns some meritsWhen he lets out gangs of ferrets.Some build a wall like that in ChinaOnly longer and much finer.Others hit on a brilliant planTo stick the rabbit into a can!Rabbits may be pestilentialBut rabbit stew has great potential.For those who put their creed in this,Rabbit stew becomes big business.At the height of the rabbit maraud,Nine million cans are sent abroad.

5. And so the virus that's terrificWorks its way across the Pacific.McNamara's totally lost inUndoing the harm of Thomas Austin.Studies species, breeding habits,Spurts the virus into rabbits.Just when progress seems most static,Comes a sudden change dramatic.On the south-east Gippsland coastRabbits stumble round comatosed.In nineteen fifty-one aloneTen million die racked to the bone.And as a reward for all their pain,Jean McNamara is made a Dame. • Meanwhile States increase their prizes,Hoping something materialises.Of the thousands who have a go,The one to find it was Aragao.He sought the Pied Piper mixed with Moses,What he got was Myxomatosis.What a great man! His one big failureWas not to do it in Australia!For despite his good intention,We took decades to use his invention.The one to mend the fatal errorWas the dogged McNamara.What a woman! She ignores allFear of chemical control. Her research may cause kerfuffleBut the woman doesn't ruffle. Robert Treborlang Australia

6. Prickly Pear

7. Cactoblastis caterpillar

8. Rapid growth Slow growth Stabilization Three stages in S-shaped growth curve

9. Earth’s Carrying Capacity • “In 1961 the earth had 3 billion people. They were using 0.5 of the sustainable resources of earth. In 1986 the earth had 5 billion people. They were using all of the sustainable resources. • Ever since we have been running what might be called an environmental deficit budget which is only sustained by plundering our capital base. • By that I mean: • overexploiting fisheries. • overgrazing to the point of desertification. • destroying forests. • polluting the waters and atmosphere, including greenhouse gasses. • You have seen the results of Bush deficit budgets. The same sort of thing is happening on a planetary basis. At the rate we are going, we would need 2 whole planets to sustain our rapacious appetites in 2050. Something has obviously got to give — most pleasantly our wasteful use of energy”.

10. Human population

11. Lynx and snowshoe hare

12. Population cycles

13. 10 year cycle – explained by 1) Crowding affects the organisms endocrine systems: stress from high density may alter hormone balance and reduce fertility, increase aggressiveness, and induce mass emigrations. • 2) Caused by a time lag in the response to density-dependent factors, which cause the population to overshoot and undershoot the carrying capacity. High density of snowshoe hares causes a deterioration of food quality. May involve predation as an accessory factor. • 3) Periodical cicadas have population cycles of 13 to 17 years. This may be an adaptation to avoid predator-prey interactions. Cicada populations are controlled in some local regions by a fungus whose spores can survive in soil for the years between cicada outbreaks.

14. The populations of lynx and showshoe hares fluctuate approximately every 10 years. • Hare population increases providing more food for the lynx • Lynx population increases reducing the hare population. • Not enough food left for lynx so their population decreases • Low levels of lynx means hare population can increase

15. Over Population and Extinction Extinction is the disappearance of an entire species. This can occur naturally or unnaturally.

16. Over Population Overpopulation  Equals Disaster Overpopulation is the single,  most pressing problem facing humanity today. It's also one of the most completely ignored problems www.truth101.org/vs-overpopulation.html Overpopulation is not simply a function of the size or density of the population, but rather the number of individuals compared to the resources . Wikipedia.org • “Can we stop the devastation of our planet and save our own species?  We are in a biodiversity crisis -- the fastest mass extinction in Earth's history, largely due to: • human destruction of ecosystems • overexploitation of species and natural resources • human overpopulation • the spread of agriculture • pollution “ • The Sixth ExtinctionBy Niles Eldredge 

17. “There have never been more people on Earth. There have never been more cows on Earth, nor pigs, nor chickens. We are using more pesticides today than at any other time in history and we are losing a greater percentage of the crops. At the same time, there has never been less clean water on Earth. There has never been less available topsoil, nor fewer fish, nor fewer mature trees. There has never been less cause for optimism for the future of the human race. Our natural resources are disappearing at an unbelievable rate, and our so-called leaders offer only cosmetic solutions. The Earth's population calls for more of everything while the Earth demands time to recover from years of abuse.” ~ Howard Lyman

18. Tent Caterpillars Tent caterpillars regularly show overpopulation followed by rapid decline.

19. 3 Outcomes of overpopulation Overpopulation Original carrying capacity 1 Number of individuals 2 Lower carrying capacity 3 extinction Time p453

20. UK – deer population 2 million deer in UK Numbers have doubled in last 10 years 70 000 deer killed / year on roads 20 drivers killed per year 200 accidents per day Woodland bird habitat lost Bird numbers have decreased since no undergrowth. 100 000 deer need shooting per year.