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Invasive Fox Control Victoria
European red foxes are native to the Northern Hemisphere, specifically Europe, Asia, and North America.
They were deliberately introduced to Australia from England in the 1860s, primarily for the purpose of recreational hunting, to replicate the popular fox hunting sport enjoyed by wealthy settlers. Early releases occurred around Melbourne, Victoria, starting in the mid-1850s, with populations becoming established in the wild in the early 1870s.
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Methods of Control
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Soft-Jaw leg hold trapping
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Ground shooting with Rimfire and Centrefire Rifles Thermal / Nightvision
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Cage Trapping
Economic & Enviromental impacts
Economic impacts
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Lost Agricultural Production is the most direct and quantifiable cost. Rabbits compete with livestock for pasture, consume crops, and damage horticultural and viticultural enterprises.
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​Seven rabbits are often equated to one dry sheep equivalent (DSE) in terms of feed consumption. This directly reduces the carrying capacity of land for sheep and cattle, leading to lower productivity in wool, lamb, and beef industries.
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Rabbits graze on various crops, from grains like canola and lupins to high-value vegetables and wine grapes, significantly reducing yields and requiring increased costs for protective control measures.
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Enviromental impacts
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Rabbits undermine and damage infrastructure through their burrowing activities. This includes roads, railways, fences, farm buildings, and even peri-urban properties.​
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​Rabbits directly compete with native herbivores (like kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, bettongs, bilbies, and quolls) for food, water, and shelter. This competition is particularly severe during droughts or after fires when resources are scarce, pushing vulnerable native species towards decline and even extinction. Over 70 listed fauna species are adversely affected by rabbit grazing.
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Intensive grazing by rabbits removes ground cover, leaving the soil exposed. The exposed soil becomes highly susceptible to wind and water erosion, leading to loss of topsoil, reduced soil fertility, and land degradation. Their extensive burrowing also directly disturbs the soil.
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In arid and semi-arid regions, the combined effects of overgrazing and erosion can contribute to desertification, transforming productive landscapes into barren ones.