Rabbits on the rampage for 150 years

摘要

One hundred and fifty years ago this year, an English man in Geelong, Victoria, fancied a spot of hunting and requested 24 European rabbits be sent from England to Australia. The man, Thomas Austin, requested the rabbits as well as five hares, 72 partridges and some sparrows reportedly stating: "The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home". Austin's innocent assumption couldn't have been more wrong. This introduction, and probably others that followed, sparked one of Australia's biggest pest plagues.