Why are
Introducing, keeping and supplying rabbits in Queensland is illegal and penalties apply. Limited types of permits for domestic rabbits are available from Biosecurity Queensland for research purposes, public display, magic acts, and circuses. Before a permit is granted, guidelines must be met.
Rabbits, hares and the law
Under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002 (Qld): Pet rabbits are banned in Queensland - it is an offence to keep any variety as a pet. The penalty for illegally keeping rabbits is $65,275.
Rabbits can cause damage by: overgrazing native and sown pastures, leading to loss of plant biodiversity and reduced crop yields. competing with native animals and domestic livestock for food and shelter, increasing grazing pressure and lowering the land's carrying capacity.
NSW, ACT, SA, TAS, VIC, WA
Everywhere else in Australia, apart from QLD, does allow domestic rabbit breeds to be kept as pets.
All introduced mammal species are prohibited as pets unless listed as exceptions. A sample of these prohibited mammals include: foxes • squirrels • ferrets/polecats/stoats • rabbits • hamsters • monkeys/marmosets • gerbils • weasels • dingoes.
Cats, dogs and other common pets
There are no restrictions on cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rats, mice and axolotl (walking fish).
RHDV1, RHDV1a variant and RHDV2
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), or calicivirus is a virus that typically causes a rapidly fatal disease in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). There are three types of RHDV present in Australia (RHDV1, RHDV1a and RHDV2).
European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were first introduced to Australia in the 18th century with the First Fleet, and later became widespread, because of Thomas Austin. Such wild rabbit populations are a serious mammalian pest and invasive species in Australia causing millions of dollars' worth of damage to crops.
A group of rabbits is known as a colony or nest (or, occasionally, a warren, though this more commonly refers to where the rabbits live). A group of baby rabbits produced from a single mating is referred to as a litter and a group of domestic rabbits living together is sometimes called a herd.
Animals that are restricted matter
It is not a direct offence for a veterinarian to treat an illegally kept pet that is restricted matter such as a rabbit, as the owner of the pet has legal responsibility for the animal.
Queensland (QLD)
You can hunt rabbits with a current firearms licence on private property with landowners' permission.
However, ferrets are prohibited as pets in Queensland and the Northern Territory. You must not keep, feed, move, give away, sell or release into the environment. Penalties may apply. You must report all sightings to Biosecurity Queensland within 24 hours.
Report rabbits
Council encourages the reporting of rabbits, including the presence of warrens as this information is used to determine the best location to implement management programs. To report a rabbit, you can: submit a feral animal sightings report. call Council on 07 3403 8888.
The Italians and French eat rabbit the way Americans eat chicken, which is to say, quite often. Rabbit meat is tender, lean, delicious and as versatile as chicken, to which it can also be compared in taste.
The Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board (DDMRB) fence is now 555 km long and stretches from Lamington National Park in the east, to Goombi in the south-west where it connects to the wild dog barrier fence. It protects about 28,000 square km within southern Queensland.
In 1859 European wild rabbits were introduced into Australia so they could be hunted for sport. Within 50 years rabbits had spread across almost the entire continent, with devastating implications for Australia's indigenous flora and fauna.
Rabbits can cause damage throughout the year, depending on what plants are available. They eat succulent green vegetation, such as flowers, vegetables and crops, during the growing season, and they may turn to trees or shrubs in winter. Rabbits commonly bite off small branches and gnaw to reach the green inner bark.
Once thought of as a poor man's chicken, rabbit is now seeing a culinary comeback in Australia, and is fast appearing on the menus of top restaurants around the country. It's a tasty, versatile and nutritious alternative that can also have fewer environmental impacts than other popular meats.
Rabbits that are housed outdoors, captured from wild populations or that are purchased from a pet store may carry zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases associated with rabbits include pasteurellosis, ringworm, mycobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis and external parasites.
RHD is not a zoonotic disease and there is no public health significance. RHD is specific to rabbits. Dogs, cats, and other pets cannot contract the disease, but can transport the virus just like vehicles, shoes, and equipment can.
About 200 human cases of tularemia are reported each year in the United States. Most cases occur in the south-central and western states. Nearly all cases occur in rural areas, and are caused by the bites of ticks and biting flies or from handling infected rodents, rabbits, or hares.
You will need a permit if you intend to keep more than two dogs. Council is unlikely to approve a permit to keep more than four, over the age of three months, unless you are a breeder. All dogs kept under the permit must also be registered with Council.
Class 1 species are animals that are considered: easy to keep. established in the captive-bred market. not to pose a public safety risk in the event of an escape, and.
Biosecurity risk
You cannot keep an ferret as a pet in Queensland. Penalties may apply. The ferret is an aggressive predator that could threaten biodiversity in Australia, with a wide range of Australian native birds, mammals and marsupials, reptiles and frogs potentially at risk.