After my diagnosis, I had worried I would be limiting Aldin’s ability to start a family. There and then, I realised this was how I wanted it to be forever. Through the pain blazing through my body, I feel at peace. Aldin is serene and bathed in the warm light of our living room he’s holding Fernando close to his chest, telling him that everything is going to be all right. I’m resigned to the couch after a bout of severe pain from endometriosis. There is a moment that sticks in my mind. I did not expect this person, who previously had no idea you could keep rabbits as indoor pets, to give so much love and care to this tiny creature I had bought for $20 at the Lonsdale RSPCA. While I was frantically trying to book a hyperinflated ticket back to Adelaide, Aldin spent the early hours of the morning bottle-feeding Fernando until he could eat for himself. So in an unexpected way, my pets have become my children. Though I hadn’t planned on starting a family, the endometriosis diagnosis left me feeling that a major life choice had been taken away from me. In July, I was diagnosed with stage-four endometriosis, meaning my ability to conceive or have children ranged from severely limited to impossible.īeing diagnosed with such a violent illness at just 27 came as a major shock. This was not the first time Aldin and I had a frantic call about a medical emergency. After breeding, the groups break up again.Aldin comforts Fernando the rabbit. During the breeding season, rabbits form territorial groups made up of one to three males with up to seven females, led by a dominant pair. This is a burrowing species, spending time in large social groups. Young emerge from the burrow after 21 days. One or two days before rabbits are born, the female constructs a small nest-like burrow lined with grass and fur. Because of this high reproductive potential a single pair of rabbits can produce up to forty offspring each year. They can produce up to five litters a year with up to seven young each litter. They can breed when they are only four months old and a female rabbit can be continuously pregnant for 6-8 months of the year. The life cycle of rabbits provides a strong clue as to why they have become such a pest in Australia. They can eat a wide range of food species in response to scarcity and are only substantially limited by human control methods. They do not depend on access to a water body if they can eat high moisture vegetation. Limiting ResourcesĪs long as suitable soil is available to dig warrens (rabbit holes), rabbits can live in extremely harsh environments. They thrive particularly well where soils are deep and sandy and green grass and herbage is readily available. Rabbits are well adapted to a wide range of habitats, from deserts to coastal plains. This species was found in high numbers across the Lower Sullivans Creek Catchment. Conservation (Pet/Pest) Status - Regional It is one of the most abundant animals in Australia, causing severe damage to both the natural environment and to agriculture. Competition and land degradation by feral rabbits is listed as a key threatening process under the EPBC Act 1999. Conservation (Pet/Pest) Status - National Rabbits were identified during searches during both the day and night, finding traces from burrows and scats. Rabbits were bought to Australia as domestic pets on the first fleet, widely introduced from the 1850s. Wild Rabbits are very abundant in all areas of Australia except in the northernmost areas. Hares ( Lepus Europaeus) are larger and much less common. This well-known species is shorthaired with light grey or brown fur colouring. Common name/sĮuropean Wild Rabbit, Rabbit, Bunny Distinguishing Features Threats/Control Methods - LocalĬurrently, no control methods are being used in the ACT, as it is not considered enough of a threat. The biological control methods that once destroyed over 90 percent of the Rabbit population are now much less effective and are used in conjunction with traditional control methods of shooting, rabbit-proof fencing, trapping and poisoning. However, this species is still very abundant, leading to the extinction of many small Australian native plant and animal species. Rabbits are also infected by several species of fleas and mites. Numerous predators threaten young rabbits, and more than 80 percent of animals die before the age of three months.
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