On-leash for wetlands?

by Carla Caruso

The City Council has been considering whether to require dog owners to put their pets on-leash around the wetlands in the southern part of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16).

The Council was debating the question at its meeting on Tuesday, 31 January. The meeting was expected to endorse the move, along with approving appropriate signage to make the rule clear to dog owners.

UPDATE: 1 February 2023: the motion was successful. The City Council voted 8-3 in favour of requiring dogs to be on-leash in the wetlands area.

Councillor Keiran Snape.

According to Councillor Keiran Snape “about 85 per cent of the Park Lands is off-leash [though] dogs should still be controlled”.

On-leash areas include playgrounds and land where horses are kept, and at the North Adelaide Golf Course (Park 1).

“I just want to add this [spot] to that list,” Councillor Snape says.

“It is a grassroots motion … People from the [city’s] south-east have noticed that dogs are off-leash, chasing birds, chasing wildlife, and crushing plants.

“I’m an animal lover; I’m a dog lover. But [the wetlands are] a valuable asset now, and the fact that we’ve got waterfowl, aquatic birds, landing and using the area after a short period of time, bodes well for the future of that area. It’s just something we need to protect.”

Doug McEvoy is one of those who’s been pushing for the change. He’s the chair of the South East City Residents Association and one of APA’s two Park Ambassadors for Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16).

“Because it’s an ephemeral wetland – that is, it tends to dry out in the summer and fill up when the rain comes – there are often quite shallow pools that the birds are feeding in," Doug says.

“And there are often dogs running freely through there, scaring the wildlife. My wife [Ruth] and I were walking through there a week or so ago, and there was a mother duck with twelve little ducklings under her wings, all just roosting for the evening by the edge of a lagoon.

Concerned resident Doug McEvoy with wife Ruth Frazer and grandson Sebastian during an outing in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16). Photo: James Elsby.

“A dog came over the hill, ran straight down, and attacked them. [The mother] and the twelve little ducklings just took flight.

“Fortunately, the dog didn’t capture any of them but that’s just one example. We see dogs off-leash, disturbing birds, most times we visit.”

While Doug’s also seen many dogs that are either leashed or well-controlled by their owners, he says “it’s in the DNA of many [others] to chase birds and run into the water”.

There’s scientific evidence that unleashed dogs in wetlands and other wildlife reserves “diminish the breeding patterns and survival of particularly ground-nesting birds like ducks, masked lapwings, and dotterels”. Breeds, which Doug says, are “now trying to make a home in the wetlands”.

“I noticed, for the first time, a family of black-fronted dotterels had made [the wetlands] their home - two adults and three chicks, one of which is in this photograph,” writes Christopher Bollen (aka Dr Birdnerd). “How good is their camouflage?”

If the council motion is successful, Councillor Snape says there will likely be “a grace period” for dog owners.

As for penalties for those who don’t comply, he says that will be up to the council’s administration to decide upon.

Stacey Quinn snapped this pic of her pooch during a morning walk in Park 16. The $13 million, 3.2 hectare wetlands officially opened in May 2022.

(Article’s main image features ‘dogstagrammer’ Mr Chuck.)

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