Easter Bunny or Easter Bilby?

The Easter Bunny has traditionally been a symbol of fertility and new life, originally a Pagan symbol and then adapted for Christianity. The Easter Bunny has been an important part of Easter celebrations all over the world, however Australians have often questioned its suitability for our nation. In Australia rabbits are a major environmental problem and in most states it is illegal to own a rabbit. Magicians and some educational institutions have them, although they have to go through major red tape to be able to keep them, so tight are our regulations.

The reason for the rabbit being a pest goes back to our settlers who brought the rabbit over from the Northern hemisphere. Many were released into the wild so that they would breed and then provide our drovers some food while they were out on the sparce plains. Unfortunately, no one realised how well the rabbit would adapt to the harsh climate and what an impact it would have on our native flora and fauna. The rabbit competes against the native fauna for food and so threatens their existance. They also have devistating effects when they feed on our native flora. The Australian government has gone to major lengths to try and control the rabbit population by bringing in an assortment of viruses and also by culling, however they remain a major problem.

In recent years the Bilby has been put forward as a new Easter symbol. The Bilby is a native Australian animal that has become endangered. It is a small rodent with a long nose, however it shares one feature with the rabbit, and that is the long ears. The Easter Bilby is becoming more common on our supermarket shelves alongside the traditional rabbit and most manufacturers donate some of the proceeds from Bilby sales to saving the Bilby. I have seen ceremonies in some schools where the Easter Bunny has officially handed over his basket of Easter Eggs to the Bilby, announcing the new custom.

But what does the Bilby have to do with a symbol of New Life? I guess you could say that this endangered animal has increased in population over the last few years as a result of all the attention. In this respect Easter has certainly brought new life for our Australian Bilby.

If you would like to find out about Bilbies and see some pictures, try looking at The Melbourne Zoo's Bilby Fact Sheet. The Bilby Appreciation Society has more information and you can join the society simply by emailing them. The CSIRO has a press release on the retirement of the Easter Bunny and their support of the Easter Bilby.