Dogs pose threat to wildlife at Redwood
Not an off-leash park for pets
SEAN WHITE Sean.White@thechronicle.com.au
FRIENDS of the Escarpment Parks Toowoomba president Hubert Krenske wants Toowoomba dog walkers to be mindful of the impact their pets have on Redwood Park wildlife.
Mr Krenske said some people treated the native wildlife reserve like an off-leash dog park.
“It’s important that people realise how much damage dogs can do to native wildlife,” Mr Krenske said.
“A dog’s natural instinct is to hunt and at the park there is a wide range of smells for dogs to follow and they will chase anything that would move.”
Redwood Park is home to many native species such as koalas, short-eared brushtail possums, black breasted button quails and more. Mr Krenske and the other members of Friends of the Escarpment have asked people to keep their dogs on a leash when they come across them in the park. “There are signs at the park which state dogs aren’t permitted in the park, but we can’t enforce the rules,” Mr Krenske said. “Redwood Park is a ecotourism site for Toowoomba which attracts visitors from Brisbane and the Gold Coast. “I like people going to the park. The more people who go to the park, the more people will become educated about the importance of native wildlife.” Toowoomba Regional Council has a list off-leash dog parks in Toowoomba which can be viewed at tr.qld.gov.au.