Council declares new dog on-leash areas in Chambers Gully Reserve, Heatherbank Reserve, Michael Perry Reserve and the wetland area at Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama.
City of Burnside has many natural areas, supporting a wide range of wildlife, including threatened species. Dogs are known to disturb, stress and prey upon birds, mammals and reptiles. Keeping dogs on lead in sensitive reserves with high biodiversity value will minimise the risk of dogs attacking or stressing wildlife. As dog walking is a popular and beneficial pastime, a balanced approach is required, maintaining ample opportunities for dog owners to walk their dogs in both suburban and more natural areas. Therefore, community consultation was recommended to determine support for declaring four areas of Local Government land with high biodiversity value as dog on-leash areas (C101023/13545).
In total, 751 valid responses to the community consultation were received. There was strong support for requiring dogs on-leash to protect wildlife, ranging from 76 per cent support for Michael Perry Reserve, to 81 per cent support for the wetland at Kensington Wama.
