The Rabbit Invasion That Almost Broke Australia

In 1859, a man released just 24 European rabbits into the wild in Australia so he could hunt them for sport.

That’s it. Twenty-four.

Within decades, those rabbits multiplied into hundreds of millions. They devoured crops, destroyed ecosystems, caused massive soil erosion, and pushed native species toward extinction.

The government tried everything:

*Shooting

*Trapping

*Poison

*Building a 3,256 km rabbit-proof fence

Nothing worked long-term.

Eventually, scientists released viruses (myxomatosis and later calicivirus) just to control the population.

All from 24 rabbits.

Sometimes the smallest decision creates the biggest disaster.

#pasinggrades