A group of more than two dozen residents in a Queensland coastal town have voiced environmental and safety concerns over dog owners who let their pets roam unleashed at a site of national value to migratory shorebirds.
Kay Edney has led calls for exclusion zones to prevent dogs from disturbing the birds along the foreshore of Elliott Heads, 360 kilometres north of Brisbane.
She said she was worried about the impact on rare and vulnerable birds that travel great distances to roost and feed in this area, including the critically endangered eastern curlew.
"Dog owners should have the animals under control for the safety of every living thing and the environment," she said.
"It really concerns me that our beautiful area is being mistreated and dogs are endangering the shorebirds."
A protected nesting site
Every year, millions of birds fly from the Arctic to Australia, with more than 40 species visiting the Bundaberg region's shores from September through to April.
Dr May's Island is an important nesting site for these birds and is located at the intersection of Elliott Heads beach and the mouth of Elliott River.
The island is recognised as having national environmental significance under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, with council signs warning the area is shut during the seabird nesting period.
But the sandy landscape has changed over time, and the island is no longer surrounded by water, making it accessible to people even at high tide.
Long-time local Debbie Bennett lives nearby and said she was worried that beachgoers were regularly flouting the rules and giving their off-leash dogs "free rein" of the area.
"It's really scary to think the dogs have more rights over these tiny little native birds [that] are part of our ecology and have been flying here for thousands of years," she said.
"The dogs just come along and chase them off because the birds don't know where the island is and the dogs don't know how to read signs."
It has prompted the Department of Environment and Science to remind beachgoers it was an offence to pursue or chase protected shorebirds under the Nature Conservation Act.
"DES has advised [Bundaberg Regional Council] it is happy to support a trial of a dog off-leash area in an area that is away from sensitive environmental areas," a department spokesperson said.
The BRC's health, compliance and enforcement spokesperson, Councillor May Mitchell, said there was no council declared off-leash beach at Elliott Heads.
"Council officers regularly patrol local beaches and may issue on-the-spot fines to dog owners not following the regulations," she said.
"Elliott Heads beach from the mouth of the river around to the surf club is a gazetted bathing reserve under council’s local laws where dogs are prohibited, as well as Dr May's Island from 1 September to 30 April when migratory shorebirds nest."
Off-leash dogs a key threat to shorebirds
University of Queensland researcher Richard Fuller has studied migratory shorebirds for the past 20 years and he said they were extremely vulnerable to disturbances.
Professor Fuller said some birds did "epic" round trips of up to 20,000 kilometres each year and were exhausted by the time they arrived on Queensland shores.
"We've noticed some really big declines in the numbers of these birds that are visiting Australia each year," he said.
"So we're studying the threats that are really impacting the birds while they're here in Australia, and also while they're overseas, and trying to work out how to reverse them."
Professor Fuller said off-leash dogs were one of the key threats to the birds because they interfered with their feeding habits, making it difficult for them to refuel for the return journey northwards.
"They're very frightening for birds," he said.
"Birds are extremely sensitive. So even an off-leash dog in the far distance can be extremely stressful for a bird and can stop it feeding."
A Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said it acknowledged "disturbance by people and domestic animals poses a threat to declining shorebird populations".
Dog owner Jeff, who did not want to be identified by his last name, said the wide-open beach at Elliott Heads was ideal for his dog to run free, and he thought it should be allowed as long as owners behaved responsibly.
"More and more people with a dog are getting pushed out and you start to get ostracised," he said.
"If there's a few people doing the wrong thing, cast out the few for doing the wrong thing, but don't punish everybody."
But Professor Fuller said it didn't take a lot for off-leash dogs to have an impact on the long-term survival of migratory shorebirds.
"The birds are avoiding places where they regularly get disturbed and freaked out by off-leash dogs," he said.
"So, over time, the birds will just stop using an area – even if that area has a really high-quality habitat that the bird needs."
Professor Fuller said a study he conducted on Brisbane beaches in 2016 found shorebird populations had declined by 20 per cent because most dog owners let their pets roam free.
"It creates a kind of climate of fear," he said.
Enforcing on-leash zones
Retired doctor, Chris Barnes, has lived in Bundaberg for more than 30 years. He's an avid bird enthusiast and photographer who does bird counts at Elliott Heads.
Small migratory birds, like the Pacific golden plover and sand plover species, often like to roost in the sand beyond designated boundaries for Dr May’s Island.
Dr Barnes said it was frustrating to see off-leash dogs, and sometimes children, chasing these birds whenever he surveyed the area.
“[The owners] just shrug their shoulders and say, 'That’s what my dog does, it chases birds'," he said.
"It looks like harmless fun, but it isn't. And when you try and make a point to say it affects their ability to survive and travel back, people become very irate."
For dog owner, Stephen Muller, off-leash dogs were also a safety issue for his pet Bundy.
"We have a Pomeranian who doesn't like other dogs, but he loves to go for a walk, so we bring him down here because it's supposed to be an on-leash beach," he said.
"But we've had numerous run-ins with people with off-leash dogs."
While a sign in front of Elliott Heads beach reads 'On-leash – fines apply', Mr Bennett said many dog owners were ignoring council warnings.
Professor Fuller said the Brisbane study revealed the best way to address the problem was to conduct surveys of conservation areas and create off-leash zones well away from where nesting sites were identified.
"When compliance happens then, really, everybody wins."
