Complaints about animals

Neighbours are encouraged to speak to dog owners if they are concerned about excessive barking.

Initially you may wish to use the ‘Bark Card’ which allows you to anonymously make your neighbour aware that you are affected by their dog(s) behaviour.

If the barking continues to be unreasonable, please contact the City on 9550 3777 to have a Ranger investigate your complaint. The Ranger will provide you with the following information:

• a Nuisance Dog Complaint completion guide;
• a Nuisance Dog Diary and
• a Form 7 Nuisance Barking Dog Complaint

If you feel that the situation has not improved you will be required to complete a Dog Nuisance Diary. The Diary must be completed over (7) seven days noting each time you are affected by the dog nuisance.

To proceed with your complaint, please ensure you have provided the following within 14-21 days of the initial complaint:

• Form 7 complaint as to a nuisance dog
• (7) seven day nuisance diary
• Any other evidence to substantiate the complaint.

Once complete, return to Ranger Services either by email to ranger.admin@mandurah.wa.gov.au or in person at one of the below locations

• City of Mandurah - 3 Peel Street, Mandurah, 8.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
• Falcon eLibrary - corner of Flavia Street and Cobblers Street, Falcon, 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday.  

When Ranger Services have received your completed Dog Nuisance Pack, a ranger will review the information and evidence provided and contact you to discuss the next steps.

If you see a wandering or stray dog, please contact City rangers with a full description of the dog and location it was last seen. A ranger will then attend to secure the dog.

Dogs must be held by a leash in all public places, unless in an approved Dog Exercise Area. If a dog is wandering or a stray there is a risk to the community of a dog attack.

Dog owners can help reduce wandering dogs by making sure all fences and gates are secure, and all dogs are registered and wearing ID.

A dog attack can take many forms, from a person or animal being chased and growled at, to a physical contact resulting in the death of an animal or serious injury to a person. All attacks should be reported to Ranger Services, regardless of the severity of the attack. All complaints are confidential.  For more information on responding to dog attacks in the community you can read the information sheet available.

Contact City rangers on 9550 3777 or email ranger.admin@mandurah.wa.gov.au

The City of Mandurah Cat Local Law 2019 came into effect 29 January 2020. This Local Law allows for the City to penalise the owners of nuisance cats. If a cat is trapped and is found to be registered, microchipped & sterilised it will be returned to the registered owner, along with an order to control the nuisance. If the cat is trapped again, a $200 penalty will be issued. If the cat is not registered with Local Government it will be impounded.

To assist with deterring stray cats from entering your property, there are commercial products available from pet stores and other retail outlets. Please ensure all care is taken to prevent other domestic animals from eating or inhaling suggested cat repellents.

Ranger Services has a small quantity of cat traps that City of Mandurah residents/ratepayers can borrow. There are conditions that must be followed when hiring the trap and a bond payable on collection.

Contact City rangers on 9550 3777 or email ranger.admin@mandurah.wa.gov.au

Responsible ownership and benefit of keeping cats indoors

Pet cats can significantly harm urban wildlife, particularly birds and small mammals. Keeping cats indoors or in secure outdoor enclosures protects wildlife and ensures their safety.

Preventing cats from roaming in urban environments not only helps preserve local biodiversity but also helps protect pets from:

• Disease
• Accidental breeding and,
• Injuries (from fights and vehicle collisions)

Feral animals are introduced species that pose threats to our local plants and wildlife. These threats include:

• Competing for food, space, and shelter
• Destroying habitat
• Preying on native species.

The most common feral animals in Mandurah are foxes and rabbits.
Foxes prey on small mammals and birds, including our migratory shorebirds, and have contributed to the decline of many species in WA.
Rabbits' grazing and burrowing destroys habitats, they outcompete our native species, and prevent the regeneration of many common native trees and shrubs.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) classifies European rabbits and red foxes as 'declared pests'. Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act), landowners must manage declared pests on their property to minimise their impact.

The City uses management activities that aim to reduce the number of rabbits and foxes and their impact on our local environment. These include:

• Monitoring
• Trapping
• Exclusion fencing to reduce access to plants and wildlife
• Removal of warrens
• Targeted release of the biological control calicivirus.*

The control measures follow ethical practices and all relevant legislation, ensuring a humane approach to population control. These measures also aim to minimise any impact on the broader ecosystem. 

*Pet owners should immunise rabbits against RHDV and RCV and install insect screening for enclosures.

How can you get involved?

Monitoring plays an important role in understanding the numbers of feral animals and where they are present. You can get involved in feral animal management by logging your sightings on FeralScan. This is an easy to use community tool that allows users to:

• Record sightings with photos
• Gives instructions for recording data
• Gives tips to minimise feral animals at your property.

These observations allow us to create a comprehensive picture of the feral animals in Mandurah and form a more effective management plan.

Pigeon management on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. The City can provide advice on management and local pest controllers.

Any feeding of pigeons should be reported to the City.

Management of pigeons on City property: 

To address the growing issue of feral pigeons, the City identifies roosting and breeding sites within City infrastructure, and prevents pigeons from being able to access these sites through a variety of measures where appropriate. The City is also trialling a new humane and non-lethal treatment targeted at restricting the breeding of pigeons called OvoControl. Reduced population numbers from this program will assist the effectiveness of actions taken by landowners on private property.

What's the problem with pigeons?

The feral pigeon is a descendant of domestic homing pigeons introduced to Australia. Their numbers have boomed in urban areas due to easy access  to fresh food, water, and breeding sites. 

Large numbers of pigeons cause risks such as:

• spread of diseases, particularly in food areas.
• attraction of ticks, mites, cockroaches and rats
• unpleasant odour and noise issues
• damage to buildings, air conditioning units, and rooftops due to corrosive pigeon droppings
• debris from roosting causing gutters and drains to block and create fire hazards.

According to the Department of Health, just seeing one or two pigeons at a property can indicate a problem.  

The behaviour of pigeons can also make management challenging. Issues include:

• a rapid breeding cycle with five mating pairs producing up to 400 pigeons in two years
• remarkable homing instincts allowing them to come back to birth sites and food sources
• culling of pigeons can trigger higher breeding to replace the population.
  
  

What is OvoControl and how does it work?

OvoControl is a humane and non-lethal method that restricts the ability of pigeon eggs to hatch.

It is a bread-based pellet feed that contains nicarbazin. After several days of feeding high levels of nicarbazin stops the fertilisation of eggs from treated females. This control does not harm the pigeons and the removal of feed will reverse the effect.

The City is installing automatic wildlife feeders that will release OvoControl daily. This will encourage pigeons to return and continue feeding on the treated feed.  

Through this feeding, the program aims to reduce numbers by 50% each year.  The final target is 5-10% of the current population. 

OvoControl targets pigeons and will not influence other species. 

This control method is:
1. approved Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
2. endorsed by the RSPCA Australia and other animal welfare agencies across the globe. 

This is a long-term management solution that will prevent future breeding. 

Alone this program will not immediately result in a reduced population. However, it will support management actions from landowners without triggering the high breeding response.