Call for wallaby patrol
Group awaits test results for death details
WILDLIFE activists want dog owners fined for not having their pets on leads at Trinity Beach’s football oval in the wake of the deaths of dozens of wallabies.
Cairns Regional Council has footage from a camouflaged camera of two dogs – believed to be a bull arab and a pit bull – attacking agile wallabies in the Trinity Beach Sporting Precinct last Wednesday.
A council spokesman said the cameras had been in place for two weeks.
“The dogs believed to be involved in the attack were located and remain in council’s custody,” he said.
“The dogs’ owners are assisting council staff with their ongoing investigation.”
Since late August, more than 50 wallabies have been reportedly found dead at the football oval, with the marsupials’ cause of death yet to be determined.
Shai Ager, co-ordinator of conservation group The Agile Project, said the organisation was still awaiting toxicology results to find out if the animals had been poisoned.
Several wallabies were reported to have been found foaming at the mouth.
“The toxicology results are taking a very long time to come back,” Ms Ager said.
“Hopefully they get back to us soon, because it will be interesting to see if it was just dogs or stress induced myopathy, or any other type of substance.”
She said more needed to be done at the football oval to protect wallabies from roaming dogs.
“The Agile Project has been saying for months now, the ... fence needs to be fixed,” she said. “Dogs can easily get under it.
“Having a council member onsite and fining people for not having their dogs on a lead (would also help).
“It would be really beneficial for everyone in our community if there were appropriate measures put in place to stop dogs from attacking native animals.”