Little Penguin friendly pets

Make sure your best friend is "penguin-friendly"!

Little Penguin disturbed during moulting by dogs at Sulphur Creek. (Photo credit: Anna Wind)

Ongoing dog attacks on Little Penguins have highlighted the need for increased education and awareness of penguins breeding along our coastline and the need for more innovative thinking about what we can do to stop dogs attacking penguins.

Recent dog attacks have triggered Councils, community groups, State Government and the Cradle Coast Authority to work together to find practical solutions to address the issue.

The Tasmanian Government recently made changes to the Dog Control Act to give greater protection to sensitive wildlife, with new penalties for the owners of dogs that attack Little Penguins in a designated "sensitive area", and increased penalties for dog attacks anywhere they occur. Other initiatives to protect Little Penguins that the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment is supporting include:

Establishment of the Tasmanian Penguin Advisory Group (TPAG) to provide expert advice to DPIPWE, regarding conservation and management of Little Penguins in Tasmania. The group comprises penguin and coastal habitat experts, including representatives from BirdLife Tasmania, CSIRO, the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, the Derwent Estuary Program, as well as a community-based Little Penguin scientist, and staff from the Parks and Wildlife Service and DPIPWE’s Marine Conservation Program. The appointment of DPIPWE wildlife biologist, Dr. David Pemberton, to work with relevant councils to promote the changes to the Dog Control Act, as well as working with Parks and Wildlife centres, Wildcare groups, tour operators and other interested groups on their implementation. David can be contacted on 0439 558 215 or via email atDavid.Pemberton@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

The ongoing efforts of dedicated community groups and Councils to enhance penguin habitats need to continue. We can upgrade penguin protection fencing to keep penguins safe and deter roaming dogs from entering penguin habitat. We can ensure there is clear and consistent signage to define where dogs are permitted and prohibited and advertising any changes widely. We can increase patrols of “no-dog zones”. We need to ensure there are suitable alternatives for dog exercise areas.

But most importantly, we need to continue to increase awareness about Little Penguins and support dog owners to train their dogs to be wildlife friendly.

“Leave it” is a dog training program focused on reducing dog and koala interactions and a successful example of a community project design developed by the Griffith University. Dog attacks are the third most common cause of death among koalas. An innovative program such as Leave It could be replicated to engage dog owners to reduce interaction and dog attacks on penguins.

Let’s keep on working together to find solutions to protect our furry and feathered friends.

The Tasmanian Government and The Cradle Coast Authority acknowledge the ongoing efforts of dedicated community groups and Councils to enhance penguin habitats, and is working to support dog owners’ increased awareness of Little Penguins and other wildlife vulnerable to dog attack.