The future biological control of pest populations of European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus

Henzell, Robert; Cooke, Brian; Mutze, Greg

doi:10.1071/wr06164

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 109 publications

(133 reference statements)

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“…New pathogens, such as the gut parasites Eimeria spp. (Boag et al., ; Henzell, Cooke, & Mutze, ; Hobbs, Twigg, Elliot, & Wheeler, , ), could potentially reduce rabbit survival by a substantially greater margin than their individual effects measured by laboratory‐challenge studies in isolation from other pathogens. On the other hand, antagonistic interactions between pathogens can also occur, and previous exposure to one pathogen might in fact enhance survival upon exposure to another (Nemeth, Bosco‐lauth, & Bowen, ; Reich et al., ; Strive, Wright, Kovaliski, Botti, & Capucci, ; Thumbi et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous exposure to myxoma virus reduces survival of European rabbits during outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease

Barnett

Prowse

Peacock

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Exploiting synergies among diseases or parasites could increase the efficacy of biological control of invasive species. In Australia, two viruses were introduced to control European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus: myxoma virus in 1950 and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in 1995. While these biological controls caused initial declines of >95% in affected populations, and despite recurring outbreaks of both diseases, rabbits remain a problem in many areas. We used 18 years of capture–mark–recapture, dead recovery, and antibody assay data from a sentinel population in South Australia to test whether these two diseases interact to modify the survival of individual wild rabbits. We compared four joint, multistate, dead‐recovery models to test the hypotheses that rabbit haemorrhagic disease and myxoma viruses have synergistic (i.e., previous exposure to one virus affects survival during outbreaks of the other virus) or additive effects (i.e., previous exposure to one virus does not affect survival during outbreaks of the other virus). Rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreaks reduced the survival of individuals with no immunity by more than half during the 58‐day capture‐trip intervals, i.e., from 0.86–0.90 to 0.37–0.48. Myxomatosis outbreaks had a smaller effect, reducing survival to 0.74–0.82; however, myxomatosis outbreaks were more prolonged, spanning more than twice as many trips. There was considerable information‐theoretic support (wAICc = 0.69) for the model in which exposure to myxomatosis affected survival during rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreaks. Rabbits previously exposed to myxoma virus had lower survival during rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreaks than rabbits never exposed to either virus. There was negligible support for the model in which previous exposure to rabbit haemorrhagic disease affected survival in myxomatosis outbreaks (wAICc < 0.01). Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate that biological control agents can have a greater impact than single‐pathogen challenge studies might suggest. Introducing additional biological control agents might therefore increase the mortality of rabbits beyond the additive effects of individual biological controls. Furthermore, our results show that by understanding and exploiting disease synergies, managers could increase the efficacy of biological controls for other invasive animals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous exposure to myxoma virus reduces survival of European rabbits during outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease

Barnett

Prowse

Peacock

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Despite recognition of the animal‐welfare concerns raised by biocontrol agents, in most cases there are insufficient data available assessing these impacts for them to be considered in detail (Henzell et al. ).…”

Section: Biological Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…) identifies sufficient benefits (biodiversity, economic) to offset the costs of animal welfare, then a decision to release biological agents may be ethically justified (Henzell et al. ). We contend though, that without explicit assessments of animal welfare, the information necessary for informed ethical debate is incomplete.…”

Section: Biological Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underaddressed animal‐welfare issues in conservation

Hampton

Hyndman

2019

Conservation Biology

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Much progress has been made toward assessing and improving animal welfare in conservation. However, several glaring knowledge gaps remain where animal‐welfare concerns exist but animal‐welfare studies have not been performed in politically sensitive contexts. Based on contemporary issues in Australia, we identified 4 topics that require more research: animal‐welfare oversight for operations designated as management (as opposed to research); animal‐welfare impacts of biological agents used to control invasive animals; welfare of animals hunted recreationally; and animal‐welfare impacts associated with indigenous wildlife use. Animal‐welfare science may be applied to these sensitive topics through simple quantitative studies (e.g., quantifying the frequency of adverse animal‐welfare events). Several such studies have effectively addressed animal‐welfare concerns in similarly contentious contexts, including feral camel (Camelus dromedarius) culling in Australia, recreational hunting in Scandinavia, and indigenous whale hunting in the United States. For discussions of animal welfare in conservation to be evidence‐based, courageous research is required in the 4 key areas we identified.

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“…The same concept of horizontal transmission was considered as the basis for developing another vaccine (a genetically modified virus) for rabbit-population control, reducing fertility through transmissible immunocontraception (Tyndale-Biscoe 1991; but see Henzell et al 2008). Although both vaccines could be valuable in managing rabbits in the countries where they were developed, the conservation conflict is that they may cause an entirely unwanted and dramatic effect in another country because the history of rabbit viruses shows clearly their ability to spread globally (Fenner and Fantini 1999;Angulo and Cooke 2002;Saunders et al 2010).…”

Section: Conservation Conflicts and Movements Of Hosts Vectors And Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease-related conflicts in mammal conservation

et al. 2010

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Diseases pose a major direct or indirect threat to the conservation of endangered species, and can be a source of conflict among the stakeholders in conservation efforts. We aim to provide examples of disease-related conflicts in conservation, and information that can be used to identify means to reduce existing conflicts and avoid potential new ones. After introducing how diseases can affect conservation efforts, we have provided examples of different types of diseaserelated conflicts, including (1) those related to the movements of hosts, vectors and pathogens, (2) those linked to cats and dogs living in contact with wild carnivores, (3) those related to ungulate overabundance and (4) those related to carrion and hunting remains. We then discuss the management options available to mitigate these situations and resolve the conflicts surrounding them. Disease-related conflicts can affect conservation in several different ways. Whereas it is clear that diseases must be considered in any recovery plan for endangered species, as well as for sympatric and related abundant species such as relevant prey, it is also important to foresee and mitigate any eventual disease-related conflicts. Where conflicts have arisen, identifying the cultural carrying capacity for a disease or disease host species will help identify management strategies. It is important to quantify the risks for stakeholders and educate them about possible solutions. Multidisciplinary research teams that communicate their work to stakeholders should help resolve conflicts. Management options will not only depend on the status of the endangered host species and the epidemiology of the diseases considered, but also on the levels of existing conflict. Conservation strategies affected by diseases should explicitly include efforts to educate and inform all stakeholders as required throughout the process, and tackle any conflicts that arise.

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The future biological control of pest populations of European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus

Cited by 17 publications

References 109 publications

Previous exposure to myxoma virus reduces survival of European rabbits during outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease

Previous exposure to myxoma virus reduces survival of European rabbits during outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease

Underaddressed animal‐welfare issues in conservation

Disease-related conflicts in mammal conservation

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