Guard dogs call to save penguins

A TASMANIAN senator has called for “penguin-protection dogs” to be trained and employed to guard little penguin rookeries and stop the birds being killed by rogue pet canines.

It was reported this week that the bodies of 13 dead penguins had been found at Low Head and that authorities suspected dogs were to blame.

Wildlife authorities will work with the George Town Council to patrol the area and apprehend any dogs found at large.

In response, Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said he wanted Tasmania to have guard dogs, like those portrayed in the film Oddball, to keep watch on penguins at Low Head and other colonies across Tasmania.

“We should be training up penguin-protection dogs... to ensure that these penguin colonies stay safe,’’ Senator Whish-Wilson said.

“The Government should be training up these protection dogs immediately.”

The senator created controversy last year when he suggested army snipers should be employed to shoot penguinkilling dogs, after 14 dead pen- guins were found at Stanley.

“It is time to take stronger action than mitigation measures to make it harder for dogs to get into penguin burrows,” he told the Mercury at the time.

“We could train guard dogs to protect the penguin burrows as has been done in some other places.

“Or we could, like they did in 2009 and 2015 in Sydney, hire professional snipers to shoot rogue dogs.”

Yesterday Senator WhishWilson said penguin colonies were heavily valued by their communities, and it was time for authorities to act.

“We need complementary short- and long-term ap- proaches. We need a comprehensive plan,” he said.

“In the short term, we need to set a curfew for domestic animals anywhere near any penguin rookery in Tasmania.

“This needs to be matched with patrols to make sure any animals disturbing the penguins will be caught.

“Local neighbourhoods should be letterboxed with warnings to keep pets indoors at night, with notifications that any pets found near rookeries will be impounded.

“In the long term we should be training up penguin-protection dogs, such as maremmas, to ensure that these penguin colonies stay safe.”