Rabbits

Billy Barton used to compete with ferrets as a past-time in his native Wales. Now he trains them and a pack of white shepherd dogs to hunt out rabbits and feral cats in NZ's war against pests. Audio

We continue our summer science series with an episode from RNZ's The Aotearoa History Show. In the first episode of season two, the show burrows into the story of rabbits and other pests introduced to… Audio

Rabbits have been a pest in New Zealand since they were introduced more than 150 years ago, but cute little bunnies are perennially popular with children.

But what happens when the kids get bored… Video, Audio

No-one knows for sure who first introduced rabbits to New Zealand, because no-one wanted to take the blame for what became one of New Zealand's biggest environmental and economic disasters. We start… Video, Audio

Farmers, growers and regional authorities in the South Island are reporting large numbers of rabbits this year. Responsiblity for pest control falls to property owners under bylaws, and if a regional… Audio

Hawke's Bay is seeing the highest numbers of rabbits since records began in 1996. Campbell Leckie, Hawke's Bay Regional Council Manager of Catchment Services, talks to Jesse about how to tackle the… Audio

Wild rabbits have been a hugely problematic pest around New Zealand recently, and the problem has come as far as Auckland Domain.

Rabbits breed very quickly and are known for eating grassland to dust… Video, Audio

Once again rabbits are on the verge of causing an ecological disaster in parts of New Zealand that will cost us hundreds of millions. Audio

Mediawatch's weekly catchup with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the media unpicking the political strategy behind National's warnngs of "separatism". 'Bunny-pocalypse Now' in… Audio

Max Nelson is one of the last of the old-time rabbiters who fought plagues of rabbits in places like the back country stations of Marlborough. He worked for Awatere Rabbit Board in the 1960s and a lot… Audio

There have been more reports of big cats in the South Island, and we've spoken to four people who have varying accounts. Yolanda van Heezik is a professor in the zoology department at Otago University… Audio

For more than 50 years the presence of wild puma-like cats in the South Island has been a keenly debated topic. Two sightings of "monstrous" cats earlier this month in North Canterbury have again… Audio

The Rare Breeds Conservation Society wants to know how many rare breed animals are in New Zealand and where they are located. Audio

Pet ownership around the world continues to grow, and the environmental cost is skyrocketing along with it. Professor David Raubenheimer says people need to start making compromises when it comes to… Audio