Age and sex bias in samples of wild rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus,from wild populations in southern England

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Abstract
Samples from wild rabbit populations in southern England were analysed to relate the age and sex ratios to the methods of collection. One sample of 2178 rabbits was collected from 14 farms using seven main methods. A second sample of 2672 individuals was taken from a long‐term live capture study at one site, and a third sample derives from the subsequent removal sampling of 233 rabbits, using five main methods, on that site. The last sample consisted of 346 rabbits from two managed estates using three methods. The age and sex ratios were also compared with published data. In general, above‐ground methods of “capture” were biased toward males and within‐warren methods toward females. Some methods, particularly shotguns or ferreting, resulted in samples which did not appear to be representative of the age structure of the population, when compared with other methods of sampling. Such biases must have important implications on the timing and methods used to control rabbits.