Rabbit Plague in NZ

Hundreds of thousands of burrows dot the mountainside in this location on the South Island of New Zealand. Wild rabbits freely roam these mountains despite the effort to control them and reduce the numbers of the population.

Rabbits thrive in dryland and semi-arid environments and in New Zealand they are especially common in the South Island of NZ. However, they are also found on the North Island as well as many other offshore islands too.

After the introduction of these European rabbits, they spread very quickly and soon became labeled as ‘very significant agricultural and ecological pests’ stated the Department of Conservation. Soon the rabbits were a threat to the then-insubstantial New Zealand economy.

The numbers of rabbits in New Zealand is slowly getting harder and harder to control due to the fact that they can breed easily.

You can find vivid evidence of this rabbit plague in our Rogue Rabbit Colopy photo pack.