IN A MOVE that would result in up to $30,000 fines just 90 kilometres to the north in Queensland, Byron Bay’s Rabbit Sanctuary is calling for “Rabbit Foster Carers” in Byron.
Foster carers will be provided with a free indoor playpen, free hay and pellets and all veterinary costs will be covered.
Locals who are interested in becoming carers can text 0416 062 947 or click to the Rabbit Sanctuary website to express interest.
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According to the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland (DPIFQ), the maximum penalty for keeping a rabbit as a domestic pet in Queensland is now $30,000.
But in NSW you don’t even need a licence for a domestic rabbit.
Originally imported from Europe and the UK to Australia in 1859 and spreading rapidly across the country to number into the many millions, the DPIFQ describes rabbits as “Australia’s most destructive agricultural and environmental introduced animal pest”.
Due to their particularly swift and extensive breeding habits as well as their love of digging burrows and eating grass, it’s estimated that rabbits cost between $600 million and $1 billion annually in severe land degradation and soil erosion. This land damage also threatens Australia’s native wildlife as well as our farmers and graziers’ livelihood.
As an official pest under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002, Queensland vets are also required to report any rabbits brought to their clinic to the DPIFQ.