The unusual behaviour of hawks in areas where RCD is killing rabbits is being used by the regional council to track down release sites.
Ian Lucas, the Canterbury Regional Council pest services manager, said that in Marlborough, Canterbury, and Otago hawks had been observed circling rabbits killed by RCD, but not scavenging them.
Hawks normally scavenged rabbit carcasses, he said, but for some reason they would not touch RCD-infected ones. Seagulls, however, were still eating infected rabbit carcasses.
As yet there was no scientific explanation for the unusual behaviour, Mr Lucas said.
"Where we see hawks circling, we are pretty sure it's an RCD site, and we are using that information."
Mr Lucas said if hawks were not eating rabbit carcasses they could be eating other predators, or native species.
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