The European hare was introduced to Australia in the late 1830s in Tasmania, although this initial attempt to establish wild populations failed.
The first successful colony of hares to establish in Australia was on the shores of Westernport Bay in 1862. The following year another hare colony was established on Phillip Island by the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria for the use in the sport 'coursing.' Hares released on the mainland thrived with limited hunting pressure.
The hare became a widespread species throughout much of south-east Australia by 1870. Spreading at an approximate rate of 60 kilometres per year, hares crossed the Murray River in 1875, where they made their way along the western slopes and tablelands of New South Wales. By 1900, hares had reached the Queensland border and become a major agricultural problem in northern and western Victoria.
– Source
See also the previous posts:
• (Potential) Troublemaker
• Edgy and Contemporary
Image: Photographer unknown.
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