ACT Parks and Conservation will introduce a new strain of calicivirus next week and expects to wipe out 20 to 40 per cent of wild rabbit population.

The Korean strain of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus, known as RHDV1 K5, is part of the national rollout at more than 600 sites.

Bye bye bunny: introduction of a new calicivirus aims to target wild rabbit population growth cause by resistance to previous virus strains. Credit:Melissa Adams

Local authorities will introduce the virus at Namadgi National Park and on land adjacent to Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve by luring wild rabbits through free feeding sessions and then offering virus-laden carrots as bait.

ACT Parks and Conservation director Daniel Iglesias said rabbits were agriculture's most costly pest animal and the nationally coordinated biocontrol strategy would be a helping hand for landholders.