Dr Brian Cooke was awarded $10,000 for his work in killing rabbits which
has included promoting RCD, a deadly viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits
which has caused the deaths and suffering of millions of rabbits in Australia.
Dr Cooke was involved in the
promotion of RCD in Australia and according to the Australian Museum website about the Eureka prizes
"The culmination of this research - the success of Rabbit Calcivirus Disease in
the near complete control of rabbit populations throughout vast
regions of central Australia - is arguably the single most
important contribution to the pastoral industry and sustainable
development of Australia's heartland in five decades. "
Much of the original work of the RCD program was funded by
agricultural groups. Mr Cooke's "important contribution to the pastoral industry
and sustainable development of Australia's heartland" is not an environmentally
friendly contribution to the Australian continent. Sheep and cattle are
extremely destructive to the fragile Australian environment and a decrease in
rabbit numbers to provide more pasture for sheep an cattle is not environmentally
friendly to Australia. (Sheep and cattle degrade the landscape).
Do you want to protest about this award going to Dr Brian Cooke?
If you do, then here are the contact numbers listed below.
You can protest because of several reasons including the fact that
RCD is not species specific (scientific papers have shown that European hares have died of the disease
and they are a different species to European rabbits).
RCD blamed for Bettong deaths
RCD is not species specific to the the European rabbit
Also, calicivirus experts have warned that it is quite likely that RCD will impact on human
health if it has not already done so.
RCD impact on human health
NZ website shows large increases
in human sickness reported by a New Zealand doctor during RCD spread
You may also like to mention that the RCD disease escaped containment on Wardang Island
off the coast of South Australia in 1995 and spread across Australia by epidemic.
Pet rabbits also died of the RCD virus.
Did Mr Brian Cooke satisfy the criteria of the prize?
Read the criteria for the Eureka Prize for environmental research
"Awarded for research in any field of the biological, physical, mathematical or biomedical sciences leading to the resolution of an environmental problem or the improvement of our natural environment. The essential criteria are scientific excellence and some manifest benefit to the natural world.
Sponsored by POL Publications. "
Criteria for Eureka environmental research prize
Who to contact to protest about the awarding of the Eureka prize for Environmental research to Brian Cooke
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Write to Mr Roger Muller who was in charge of the Eureka Prizes
Mr Roger Muller
Associate Director of the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
6 College Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
Phone (02)9320.6230
Fax (02)9320.6015
Contact the sponsor who donated the prize.
The sponsor who donated the prize is:
Pol Corporate Publications Pty Ltd
125-127 Little Eveleigh Street,
Redfern,
NSW, 2016
Australia
Phone (02)9318.0500
Fax
Contact the panel who voted on the prize being awarded to Dr Brian Cooke.
The panel consisted of four people according to the Associate Director of the Australian Museum.
"In response to a message you sent recently to our webmaster, there are 4
judges of the POL Eureka Prize - Professor Mike Archer, Director fo the
AM, Professor Alistair Gilmour, Professor of Environmental Studies at
Macquarie Uni, Professor David Patterson. School of Biological Studies,
Uni of Sydney, and Robyn Williams, ABC radio."
Prof Michael Archer
Director
Australian Museum
6 College Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
Phone (02)9320.6000
Fax (02)9320.6040
email c/o Mr Archer's executive assistant
Gail McCarthy
gailm@austmus.gov.au
Professor Alistair Gilmour
Position Prof. of Environmental Studies
Head of Department
Room Number/Building E7A 815
Postal Address Graduate School of the Environment
Division of Environmental and Life Sciences
Macquarie University
NSW 2109
Australia
Phone Number +61-2-9850-7975
Fax Number +61-2-9850-7972
E-Mail Address agilmour@gse.mq.edu.au
Professor Patterson, David J
department: School of Biological Sciences
phone: +61 2 9351 2438
fax: +61 2 9351 4119
email: djp@bio.usyd.edu.au
location: Room 322
address: A08 - Zoology
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia
Robyn Williams
The Science Show
ABC Radio National
Ph 02-9333 1406
Fax 02-9333 1414
Email science.radio@your.abc.net.au
Visit the Eureka prizes website
"Dr Cooke began his research in the late sixties, when the rabbit problem began to re-emerge after myxomatosis. His research culminated in the release of Rabbit Calicivirus disease in 1995 - a project which has achieved the near complete control of rabbit populations throughout vast regions of Australia and brought about stronger native fauna populations and more productive pastoral lands."
This statement was factually wrong. RCD virus was not released in 1995, the disease escaped.
Thanks to the efforts of Marguerite Wegner from Rabbit Information Service who notified the Australian Museum of the error, the paragraph was changed to:
"His research culminated in the testing of Rabbit Calicivirus disease which, although prematurely escaping from Wardang Island in 1995, has nevertheless fulfilled expectations - the near complete control of rabbit populations throughout vast regions of Australia, and stronger native fauna populations and more productive pastoral lands."
The excuse for the error according to the Associate Director, Roger Muller was that "I am in the process of adjusting the language on our web re "release" to reflect the reality. (I should note that the present language simply reflects that of our enthusiastic publicists)."
Regarding the "near complete control of rabbit populations".
Either the disease controlled the rabbits or it did not.
RCD/VHD escaped containment on Wardang Island (South Australia) in 1995 & spread by epidemic.
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RCD (Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease) ESCAPED containment on Wardang Island off the coast of South Australia in 1995 and jumped to mainland Australia where it spread across the continent - possibly with the illegal help of unknown persons. RCD was not legalised as a biocontrol in Australia until 1996.
Visit CSIRO website to see how RCD/VHD escaped containment
on Wardang Island.
Read the press releases dated 10th, 11th and 16th October 1995 and see how the RCD virus escaped containment
first from the test pens on Wardang Island to elsewhere on the island and then onto mainland Australia
No-one was prosecuted, fined or sacked over the breach of quarantine laws when RCD escaped containment.
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Many people feel that those involved in the RCD saga should
have been prosecuted over this breach of Australian quarantine
laws that allowed a deadly exotic disease of mammals to escape
containment.
RCD has not led to the demise of the wild rabbit in Australia and wild rabbits have shown some immunity.
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Regarding the "near complete control of rabbit populations". Either the disease controlled the rabbits or it did not.
Rabbits multiply despite virus
Some newspaper articles have reported rabbit numbers in some areas as
being near to pre-RCD levels.
Submissions opposing the use of RCD as a biocontrol in Australia were sent in AFTER the virus escaped.
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The Australian public and the scientific community
were not given a chance to send in submissions opposing the
introduction of RCD in Australia until AFTER the disease had escaped.
Therefore such submissions were a useless exercise.
However in New Zealand, authorities said NO to RCD after submissions
were invited on the issue. Over 800 submissions were received
including submissions from scientists around the world opposing
the introduction of RCD into New Zealand.
New Zealand authorities said NO to RCD/VHD then farmers imported the disease illegally
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New Zealand website re RCD
Subsequent to the NO decision, farmers illegally imported RCD
into New Zealand (it is suspected they may have had officials
help them in breaking NZ laws but this has never been proven).
As far as I am aware, no-one was ever prosecuted or jailed
for the deliberate flouting of New Zealand laws when the illegal
import and spread of RCD occured in NZ. Some New Zealanders
deliberately broke soveriegn laws of New Zealand and escaped prosecution
just as those in Australia escaped prosecution over the escape of RCD onto mainland Australia.
Has RCD/VHD impacted on Human Health?
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It is thought that RCD may have alreay impacted on the health of
other animals and humans and Australian authorites have stated that
no guarantees can be made that RCD will never infect any other species.
Scientific publications have already noted that European Brown Hare has
already died of RCD/VHD and the hare is a different species to the European
rabbit.
Rabbit Virus - Is it breeding disaster
Deformities linked to RCD
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Deformties linked to RCD (NZ)