How IVF Could Help Control Feral Rabbits

Landline

The topic is Agricultural Pest Control

Saturday, 30 May 2026, at 7:29 am

Rabbits are a big problem in Australia, causing a lot of damage

A scientist is removing the sex organs from rabbits to help control their population

The scientist needs male and female rabbits that are healthy and able to breed

The scientist is looking for rabbits with mature reproductive systems

A gene drive could be the best way to control the rabbit population

The scientist is working at a wildlife sanctuary to catch and study rabbits

The team is taking tissue samples from the rabbits and storing them in a special container

The samples will be taken to a lab to create new rabbits with a gene drive

The gene drive is a biological control method that can help reduce the rabbit population

A woman is holding a large male rabbit at the wildlife sanctuary

The gene drive involves changing the rabbits' genes to limit their ability to breed

The key is to stop female rabbits from breeding, but male rabbits also play a role

The plan is to release male rabbits with the gene drive into the wild

The gene drive will spread quickly and cause a big decrease in the rabbit population

The rabbits' ability to breed quickly will help the gene drive spread faster

But first, the scientists need to find the genes that control fertility in rabbits

Feral rabbits breed quickly and cause problems for farmers and the environment

The scientists will breed rabbits with the gene drive and limited ability to reproduce

The gene drive is like a fast-spreading gene that can help control the rabbit population

A new biological control method is needed to control the rabbits

The release of the gene drive is still several years away, but it's an important development

Other methods, like viruses, are not working as well as they used to

The rabbit population has grown to its highest level in decades

Feral rabbits cause a lot of environmental and agricultural damage

The cost of controlling the rabbits is very high, and the damage they cause is hard to measure

The gene drive research is moving forward thanks to advances in technology

An international team, including a rabbit IVF specialist from Poland, is working on the project

The team has experts from many fields, including genetics and ecology

Human IVF technology was developed in Australia and has been adapted for use in rabbits

The gene drive work has benefited from advances in human IVF technology

A clinical embryologist with experience in human reproduction is working on the project

Human IVF technology is being used to breed infertile rabbits

The techniques used are similar to those used in human IVF, but the goals are different

One of the tasks is to get usable sperm from the rabbits

The scientists have successfully grown rabbit embryos using IVF

The gene drive could potentially be used to control other invasive species

The scientist believes the technology could be used to control other pests, like cane toads and carp

The scientist is helping to catch and study rabbits for the research

The technology has potential for wildlife conservation, including controlling feral cats and foxes

The release of the gene drive will require careful planning and consultation

The proposal to use the gene drive is a radical one

The fertility of the European rabbit is remarkable, with a doe able to produce up to 60 offspring

This trait could be the key to controlling the rabbit population

Watch the story on ABC TV's Landline or stream it on ABC iview

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Saturday, 30 May 2026, at 7:29 am

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