We are instructed to write to you with respect to some of the material on your website concerning our client and its operations.

Without being exhaustive of the matters of complaint, the following extracts are of particular concern:-

l. The allegation that our client "is a body dedicated to the destruction of rabbits in Australia".

2. That the type of research undertaken by our client "will involve the deliberate and painful cruel murder of pet rabbits trapped in laboratories and containment areas".

3. That money raised by our client will "support up to four conservation projects (murdering rabbits?) each year".

4. That "other diseases that the ARRF may find or develop to murder rabbits may be similar to myxomatosis with regards to the level of pain and cruelty inflicted on both wild and pet rabbits".

5. That our client has indulged in "cruel and painful research to test RCD on rabbits".

6. That rabbits have been delivered to our client's researchers "to be murdered in attempts to find new ways to kill bunnies".

7. That our client's "cruel and abhorrent funded research is a blight on the humanity of all Australians".

8. That our client is "directly involved in the murder and torture of rabbits in Australia."

In light of the extravagant language which you have used in your , it is necessarily to be inferred that you intended to damage our client's reputation within the wide audience to whom your website is published.

It is also to be inferred necessarily that in encouraging people not to donate any money to our client your intention is to cause our client financial loss.

The statements and accusations in your website are libelous entitling our client to sue you for damages and for injunctive relief restraining you from any further publication of your website in that or a similarly offensive form.

The purpose of this letter is to bring the concern which our client has to your attention and to provide you with an opportunity to remedy the mischief created by your website. We urge you to avail yourself of this opportunity.

If you do not take steps as soon as practicable to remove the offensive material from your website, the fact that you have been afforded this opportunity to mitigate the loss and damage to our client and have declined to take advantage of it, will be a matter which will be drawn to the attention of the court in any proceedings which our client might contemplate taking against you.

If you have any doubts as to your position and exposure with respect to the matters which we have raised, we urge you take your own legal advice as soon as possible.

In the meantime, our client will be monitoring your website closely.

Yours faithfully,

Tony Fuller
***************************************************************
For any one who is interested here's some info from the CSIRO website re the AARF

From: http://www.csiro.au/communication/rabbits/rcd_book.htm

What can you do to help?

Since its formation in 1992, the Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia has administered a publicly subscribed national fund to do the following:

Support research that contributes to the eradication of wild rabbits in Australia.

The Foundation has so far committed $100 000 to research projects. These include:

using chemicals and vitamins as rabbit control agents
discovering how Australian wildlife co-exists with rabbits
helping to identify the probable insect carriers of RCD
developing computer models indicating the best time to release RCD
identifying myxomatosis strains to be used in future rabbit control
mapping of warrens using ground-penetrating radar
identifying other pathogens with potential to control wild rabbits.
Raise community awareness of the nature and damage that rabbits cause to agriculture and the environment

The Foundation has actively campaigned to raise public awareness of rabbit damage and the need for rabbit control. Its activities include:

producing many educational materials for use in schools
establishing the Easter Bilby campaign
presenting national submissions in support of RCD
running conferences and seminars, and presenting talks at others
raising thousands of dollars for conservation projects
providing talks, interviews and articles for many media outlets
raising funds for the publication of the RCD Field Handbook.

ARRFA

The Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation of Australia is a voluntary organisation and depends on sponsorship and donations.

Donations are tax-deductible, and can be sent to:

Anti-Rabbit Research Foundation Trust
Adelaide Zoological Gardens
Frome Rd
Adelaide SA 5000

Ongoing research on RCD

Scientists working with RCD have learnt an important lesson from the myxomatosis experience. The initial spread of a biological control agent provides a unique opportunity to gather information essential to understanding how the agent works. Without this information, scientists cannot offer reliable advice to land managers on how to gain maximum benefit from the disease, frustrating rabbit control efforts and wasting valuable resources.

The RCD program is coordinating a field study of RCD, bringing together Commonwealth and State/Territory agencies responsible for conservation and primary production, and scientists from CSIRO.

Ten detailed monitoring sites have been selected in major bioclimatic zones in Australia, with at least one site located in each State and Territory, except the ACT. These cover a range of land uses including agriculture, pastoralism and conservation. Information collected will provide an understanding of the effects of rabbit calicivirus on rabbit populations over time and on the effects of decreased rabbit grazing pressure on agricultural and pastoral production and conservation values.

Research on disease spread is being undertaken by the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology to improve understanding of how rabbits and rabbit calicivirus interact under different field conditions. It will: