Biodiversity

Tips to being responsible pet owner

If you have a pet and you also plan on sharing your backyard with wildlife, there are some important actions you can take to protect wildlife from domestic pets:

• Keep your dog/s and or cat/s inside at night. Many wildlife species are active at night and many of our bird species feed during dawn and dusk. By keeping your pet inside or secured within an enclosure between dawn and dusk, your new backyard neighbours will be safe to use their new habitat and forage freely
• Buy or build a purpose designed outdoor cat run. These enclosures can be constructed as either free standing or attached to your house with a pet door and will allow your cat to play outdoors without being able to threaten native wildlife. These outdoor enclosures can be as large as you like and designed to include climbing frames, scratch-posts, living plants and covered sleeping / resting areas. The use of outdoor cat enclosure will not only protect native wildlife but also your cat from being hit by cars or being attacked by other cats or roaming dogs
• Fit a collar to your cat with at least 2 bells and a mirror ball or reflective finish. Cats are quite clever and can learn to hold bells under their chin and stop them making a noise. By fitting a mirror ball or other material that will reflect “sunlight” birds and other potential prey will have a chance to see (and be startled by) bright flashes of sunlight reflecting from the cat and have a chance at escaping or finding protection
• Ensure your dog is contained within a secure yard and cannot escape through any holes, loose panels, squeeze under or jump over your fence. Roaming dogs can not only frighten people but also chase and kill native wildlife and stock on rural properties. Most of us don’t believe that our beloved
• Best friend at home could ever hurt a fly, but when domestic dogs come together in bushland parks and encounter a scared fleeing animal they can become very excited and sometimes overcome with their natural instinct to hunt (just like cats). A secure backyard will not only protect your dog but also native wildlife in adjoining bush and parklands
• Always walk your dog on a lead, even in natural areas. This will prevent your dog from “taking off” after something it has seen or heard in the bushes
• When in “off Leash” areas or at the beach, never let your dog chase birds or other animals. Many migratory shore birds in particular are vulnerable to stress and may be resting from either a long flight or preparing for one
• If you do not plan to breed from your cat or dog, it is highly recommended to have your pet desexed. This will reduce the risk of unwanted kittens and puppies (Sunshine Coast Council also provides a reduction in registration fees for desexed animals)
• Never dump unwanted animals in bushland. This is illegal and cruel. The animal will either die a slow and lonely death or become feral pest. Most cats survive solely by preying on native wildlife in bushland areas. Others will become pests hanging around urban areas looking for food hand outs, breeding and fighting with pet cats and preying on native wildlife in our backyards

Why is it important to be a responsible pet owner

It is estimated that 63% of the 7.5 million households in Australia have one or more pets. Figures from the RSPCA indicate that in 2005, there were 2.8 million Australian households with dogs (38% of the total), and 1.9 million households with cats (25%).

With pets forming such a large part of our lives it is essential we recognise that even the most well behaved and loved pets have the potential to cause detrimental harm to native wildlife in different situations.

If you are planning to create a wildlife friendly backyard and attract a variety native wildlife species into a yard, you will need to ensure that you are not creating a hunting ground for your pet.

Dogs love to chase things. It is a game for them. Unfortunately, they will also chase wildlife such as lizards, dragons, ground & water birds, possums, frogs, koalas, kangaroos and small mammals. These animals will usually die of shock and stress from being chased and “played” with, even if your dog doesn’t actually bite or eat the animal. In other instances, protective and even jealous dogs will attack and maul unknowing wildlife that enter their territory (backyard). 

Cats also love to chase and “play” with small wildlife species.  However they are also natural hunters and they have a natural instinct is to hunt and kill, whether they are hungry or not. When cats are allowed to roam freely they are capable of killing very large numbers of birds, lizards, frogs, insects and small mammals. It is estimated that the pet moggy on average can take 16 mammals, 8 birds and 8 reptiles annually. This adds up to potentially 96 million vertebrates each year.

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