Guest guest Posted April 15, 2001 Report Share Posted April 15, 2001 bunny <rabbit slloyd <slloyd Sunday, 15 April 2001 9:41 rabbits and spin doctors >Hi Sandy, > >Someone forwarded me a post sent from your email address at Agriculture WA. >(see the post below my email to you). > >You write " Happy Easter, bilbies not bunnies " . The efforts of those who seek >to destroy >the concept of the Easter bunny including our illustrious CSIRO are the most >insidious and calculated effort at " spin " on changing a children's icon (the >Easter bunny) >that I have ever seen. Many people (including children) feel the same way >and the campaign >will never succeed to replace the cute Easter bunny with a rat-like bilby >with oversized ears. > >In April 1995, CSIRO wrote " The Easter Bilby should take over from the >Easter Bunny to highlight Australia's commitment to conserving our native >wildlife, according to Mr William Morgan, Executive Officer of the >Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia (ARRFA). " > >Conserve bilbies if you like but leave the Easter bunny out of it. Perhaps >CSIRO >will attack Sants Claus next if they can get some spin out of it. > >Regarding introduced wild rabbits in Australia, rabbits never asked to be >bought here and neither >did cats, foxes and other introduced animals, many of which die in agony >from toxic baits and >diseases spread by your employer, Agriculture WA. > >Your lack of understanding of the issues and your >gung ho approach to blame rabbits as being a number one pest shows your >ignorance of >the issues . (You describe rabbits as " the most devastatingly destructive >verminous of vermin " ) > >Humans are the number one pest in Australia and while we have a policy of >increasing human >populations and clearing more and more land for agriculture and houses, the >rabbit and >all the other " pests " will pale into insignificance. > >Rabbits have never been a major problem in Western Australia and expenditure >on rabbit >control has never been a huge part of our budget. > >Perhaps you would like to educate yourself about the following regarding >those affected >by declines in rabbit populations and the spread of disease: > >1) The numbers of some species of birds of prey have declined noticably >since the introduction of RCD and a subsequent decline in wild rabbit >numbers. >What dollar value do you place on birds of prey? What is affecting the birds >of prey >so that in some areas they ceased to breed? Is it lack of food or are they >becoming >sick from eating rabbits infected with RCD? > >Vist http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/raptors.htm > >2)Information retrieved by me under the Freedom of Information Act and sent >to USA virologists >have shown that human health has most probably been affected by RCD. > >Visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol4no1/smith.htm > >3)Myxomatosis is the most evil disease ever spread by humans. Many pet >rabbits >die of this disease and Australian authorities will NOT (YET) allow a >vaccine for the disease. > >http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/intervet.htm > >You cannot turn back the clock and make Australia as it was before European >settlement >and efforts to do so are pointless and will result in endless animals being >poisoned by >Agriculture WA and others. The deliberate spread of baits and diseases by >Agriculture WA >to kill unwanted animals is sickening to all those aware of how the affected >animals die. > >Buddhist beliefs say that those who kill animals will be reborne animals and >will be killed themselves >in a later life so karma works through ongoing lifetimes. If this is so, all >those involved >in killing animals can look forward to enjoying the karmic justice that >awaits them in lifetimes to come. > >Marguerite Wegner >Rabbit Information Service >Western Australia >*************************************** > >The bilby (Macrotus lagotus) is an extremely cute, long-eared native >Australian marsupial that has declined markedly because of land clearing, >being snacked on by cats and foxes, and through competition by rabbits (I'm >sure you all know this but, just in case, rabbits, cats and foxes all >introduced pests in Australia). >As rabbits are the most devastatingly destructive verminous of vermin, it >seems rather stupid to use their form to celebrate anything. The >anti-rabbit research foundation 'invented' the Easter bilby in 1991. Now >several Australian chocolate manufacturers produce chocolate bilbies for >Easter, and the slogan among conservationists is " Bilbies not bunnies " . >Apparently some of the profits from the sale of chocolate bilbies have been >used for research and conservation of the bilby. >Please see this bilby page for more info: >http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bilbies/About_Bilbies.htm > >this CSIRO press release has some of the history: >http://www.csiro.au/communication/rabbits/praahl.htm > >for a few facts on those verminous little bunnies, and RCD, see: >http://www.csiro.au/communication/rabbits/rcd_book.htm#_Toc407005951 > >Happy Easter, Bilbies not bunnies! >Sandy >slloyd >Executive Officer State Weed Plan >WA Coordinator Weedbuster Week >Agriculture Western Australia >Locked Bag 4 >BENTLEY DC WA 6983 >Tel. (08) 9368 3760 (61-8-9368 3760) >Fax (08) 9474 3814 (61-8-9474 3814) > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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