TIL in 1859, an Australian man named Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits for hunting on his estate. With no natural predators, they multiplied so rapidly that within a few decades, they overran Australia, causing massive ecological damage and leading to one of the largest control efforts in history.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/how-european-rabbits-t…
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1gm8ght/til_in_1859_an_australian_man_named_thomas_austin/