There are only 600 bilbies left in Australia due to the introduction of rabbits by European settlers. Bilbies are now endangered due to predators and habitat loss. Australians have made bilbies a symbol of Easter, with proceeds from chocolate bilbies going towards conservation efforts. The idea of replacing the Easter Bunny with the bilby began in 1968 with a story written by a 9-year-old girl. The Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia began a campaign in 1991 to replace the Easter Bunny with Bilpasquale.
There are only about 600 bilbies left in the deserts of Australia. These big-eared marsupials, also known as rabbit-eared bandicoots, thrived in Australia until European settlers arrived in the late 18th century, bringing with them rabbits, which were released into the wild for hunting. These days, the bile is in danger, the victim of foxes and wildcats that prey on them, and rabbits that drive them from their burrows. Australians have tried to help, and in recent years bilè has become a symbol of Easter, with many favorite chocolate treats instead of chocolate bunnies. Part of the sale of chocolate bildi goes to their conservation.
Hopping along the bilby trail:
The idea of replacing the Easter Bunny started in 1968 when a 9-year-old Queensland girl wrote a story called “Billy the Aussie Easter Bilby,” which she published as an adult.
The story sparked public interest in saving bile, in 1991, the Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia began a campaign to replace the Easter Bunny with Bilpasquale.
Feral rabbits are a serious problem in Australia. Failed control attempts have included building fences (rabbits jumped over or burrowed under) and releasing a deadly virus in the 1950s, which worked until genetic resistance thwarted the plan.
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