The 19th-century pastoralist Thomas Austin was homesick. He yearned for the pastimes of his home in England—especially rabbit hunting. He asked his family to send him some rabbits.

Adelaide, Australia: This "convention" of feral rabbits is a common sight in the "Outback" frontier country near Adelaide, South Australia. How does domestication change wild animals? When ...

On Christmas Day in 1859, a wealthy grazier named Thomas Austin released a small batch of European rabbits onto his property near Winchelsea in the Australian colony of Victoria. He wanted something ...

Australia is home to roughly 200 million rabbits, which are not native to the country and damage crops and ecosystems. Bettmann / Getty Images In Australia today, European wild rabbits eat through ...

Rabbits were first introduced to mainland Australia when five domestic animals were brought to Sydney on the First Fleet in 1788. At least 90 subsequent importations would be made before 1859 but none ...