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No Bunnies Allowed<\/h1>\n
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By Chadd McGlone<\/p>\n
Chapel Hill, NC, United States<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
When people travel to distant lands, they can sometimes feel nostalgia for what they have left behind. Early settlers in Australia<\/strong> experienced quite a bit of this yearning. During the mid 1800s, wealthy immigrants from Great Britain realized that they missed the pastimes of their homeland. Their desire to make their new surroundings more familiar led to such efforts as\u00a0acclimatisation societies.<\/p>\n Missing the Bunnies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n One activity they missed very much was hunting\u00a0rabbits. Many immigrants who had imported domesticated rabbits tried to release them into the wild to proliferate. With their original survival instincts diluted through breeding, they failed to survive.<\/p>\n Then, in 1859, an English settler named\u00a0Thomas Austin, a member of the Acclimatization Society of Victoria, released 24 wild rabbits to create a colony for hunting. Other settlers followed suit, and within nine years, rabbits were so plentiful that the impact of their foraging was harming property values. By 1900, rabbits were recognized as an agricultural pest.<\/p>\n Building a Fence<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Angry at the damage caused by the rabbits, the Australian government began construction on the State Barrier Fence in order to prevent them from invading the western section of the continent. The one-meter-tall barrier, built with wooden posts and wire and completed in 1907, was the longest unbroken fence of its time. Contractors placed gates every 34 kilometers (km) in order for residents to pass from one side to the other.<\/p>\n And Another Fence<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, during the six years of construction, rabbits overran both sides of the fence, forcing the construction of two additional barricades. Today,\u00a0three fences\u00a0prevent the rabbits from overrunning Australia:<\/p>\n Monitoring<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Since its inception, the three-part Rabbit-Proof Fence has been monitored to ensure its structural integrity. The first government-appointed manager of the fence was given the title\u00a0The First Chief Inspector of Rabbits<\/em>. In early years,\u00a0inspectors\u00a0traveled on horseback or bicycle, spending nights in rustic, permanent huts constructed along the fence line.<\/p>\n Today, a cooperative of government agencies shares the maintenance work. Each year, approximately 30 km of fence line is replaced with steel posts and modern, prefabricated mesh.<\/p>\n Unfortunate Consequences<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n While the fence solved one problem, it created others. Australia\u2019s animals have enough difficulty surviving its inhospitable climate without a barrier to migration. Emus, kangaroos, snakes, and other native species have less access to their customary food sources. Also, with their populations limited geographically, their gene pools have become more restricted. The\u00a0Rabbit Free Australia\u00a0organization lists harm to many kinds of wildlife, as well as vegetation and agriculture.<\/p>\n New Strategies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Fortunately, scientists are working hard to develop alternative ways of controlling the rabbit explosion. For example, in 1950, a\u00a0virus\u00a0was released that reduced the number of rabbits from 600 million to 100 million within two years.<\/p>\n With the passage of time, however, the remaining rabbits developed partial immunity, so another virus was investigated. While this one was being tested on the Wardang Island rabbit colony, it hitched a ride to the mainland on fugitive flies. Its devastatingly effective impact there caused the government to release it widely in 1996. Scientists are currently researching a third virus that promises to add still another means of biological control.<\/p>\n Struggling native species show signs nowadays that they may be recovering. So, the next time you\u2019re in Australia, enjoy the rabbits, just don\u2019t hold the gate open for them!<\/p>\n Have a suggestion for this story? We\u2019d love for you to\u00a0submit it<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/desert-cottontail-1531821.jpg” alt=”stilt fisherman in Sri Lanka” title_text=”desert-cottontail-1531821″ align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/GMS-rabbits2.jpg” alt=”Stilt fisherman in Sri Lanka” title_text=”GMS-rabbits2″ align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_accordion _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Blank” open=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_css_main_element=”display: none; ” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Blank<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Slideshow” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Are you a teacher who\u2019s interested in telling this story to your students? Here\u2019s a slideshow to get you started!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Math Resources” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Learning Activities:<\/p>\n Sample Problems:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Extension Question” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n What is your reaction to the issue of animal welfare in this story? These rabbits didn\u2019t ask to be brought to Australia, so is it fair to kill so many?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Explore Further” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Share Your Story” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n\n
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