A dry year has provided "optimum" breeding conditions for rabbits and numbers are creeping back up, Otago Regional Council regional services group manager Jeff Donaldson says.
Rabbit control is the focus of a workshop in Cromwell on Monday and Mr Donaldson is hoping for a good attendance of Central Otago landowners.
The free workshop, run by the regional council, is aimed at all landowners, and will offer management plans for rabbit eradication as well as suggesting control tools and options.
"Rabbit numbers are creeping back up. We had a breathing space for a while with the [rabbit haemorrhagic disease - RHD] virus, but now numbers are creeping back up again, so we certainly need to look at tools other than the virus," Mr Donaldson said.
The effectiveness of RHD had declined, he said.
The lack of rain suited the rabbits and provided optimum breeding conditions. More rain meant the rabbits were more likely to drown in the nest or suffered as a result of too much grass around.
They suffered badly from a form of viral pneumonia which was linked to lush quantities of cocksfoot grass.
