Another four Little Penguins were found dead on the rocks in Waubs Bay this morning, with obvious signs of dog attack. A shack owner found the bodies of the penguins on an early morning walk.
Spokesperson for the Earth Ocean Network, Lucy Landon-Lane said, “This further highlights the need for urgent action to protect our penguins from dog attack. Following on from the public meeting in Bicheno yesterday, these additional deaths are very disturbing. There have been further reports of dogs on the loose in Bicheno, which is deplorable. Unfortunately some dog owners will not take responsibility for their dogs and continue to allow them to roam un-checked. As discussed yesterday at the meeting, the penalty for vagrant dogs is pitifully low ($250), and the fact that there is no authorised dog catcher in Bicheno means that there is no deterrence and the message is not getting across to some dog owners.
“In 2009 in Sydney, snipers were employed to protect a colony of Little Penguins which were being repeatedly attacked*. The Bicheno community truly hope that such drastic measures do not need to be employed here. The public meeting has fired up the community and the authorities to get serious about protecting these vulnerable birds because without adequate protection from dogs, cats and human intervention, there is a risk that Little Penguins may become extinct on mainland Tasmania.”
TV Resident
February 1, 2019 at 12:14
Maybe having a couple of armed rangers patrolling for a few weeks, and shooting any free roaming dogs in the area. This just might encourage people to be more mindful of their environment and the wildlife within it.
john
September 28, 2019 at 20:14
It is not a dog problem. You lot believe anything that these dog haters say. It’s quolls.
I have lived with them for 40 years. They kill anything that moves. They are not the nice cuddly animals that the wildlife experts say. They are a vicious little rodents, so maybe you could get the rangers to shoot the quolls.
OMG, you can’t do that, can you?
Rob Halton
September 29, 2019 at 11:35
john, thanks for your comment as its of importance that matters surrounding penguin deaths are addressed asap. I am surprised that PWS do not have remote cameras installed to provide some evidence of various animals, both native and introduced roaming around the sites 24/7.
PWS continually threaten us humans with security cameras installed at most of their reserve sites why cant they with all of the modern technology and having access to the regular media the likes of Sir David Attenborough’s outstanding regular animal behavior programs in the wild!
Do I instead email Sir David and request that he comes to Tasmania and carefully explain the photo imagery techniques required to study the threats being imposed on our fauna.
Clive Stott
September 29, 2019 at 20:20
Dorset Council has a plan: “Dogs are not permitted on beaches (except the two exercise area beaches listed)…”
No, it is not the dogs. It is the dog owners who are the problem.