Rabbit Control Program

Public Notification

1 June 2024

Rabbit Control Program

The National Capital Authority will undertake a rabbit control program in the National Triangle from next week until August 2024.

The program will be focused in Kings Park, the Acton Peninsula, the Parliamentary Zone and Commonwealth Park, where significant rabbit numbers and associated damage has been identified.

Rabbits are a declared pest under the Pest Plants and Animals Act 2005 and rabbit control measures are designed to maintain rabbit populations below a level where they can cause significant harm to the environment or to other assets.

The program will also improve safety for pedestrians and road users by removing burrows that can be a fall risk for walkers and reducing the risk of motorists swerving or breaking to avoid rabbits.

The program will be undertaken in accordance with the nationally agreed Model Code of Practice for the Humane Control of Rabbits and consistent with the Best Practice Management Guide for Rabbits in the ACT.

It will be carried out by qualified and certified contractors experienced with rabbit control in publicly accessible urban areas, and include fumigation, controlled shooting using thermal imaging and the destruction of warrens.

Active measures will be undertaken overnight when the areas are not generally in use by the public. Treatment areas will not be formally closed; however, signage will be on display to inform the community that rabbit control measures are underway.

The National Capital Authority will monitor rabbit populations following the control program to assess its success and to inform future population management strategies.

The program has been planned in coordination with the Department of Parliamentary Services, the Department of Defence and the ACT Government.