Roaming dogs are creating havoc and destruction through North Queensland with particular danger to wildlife in the Ravenshoe area. Dog owners are urged to take positive steps to ensure wildlife are safe to also continue to enjoy living in and contributing to our enjoyment of our North Queensland environment.

Respected Ravenshoe Wildlife rescuer, Harry Kunz, has lost 1 possum, 2 rock wallabies, and 1 swamp wallaby which were killed and carried around by a neighbour's dog pack and a big Eastern Grey kangaroo (Dusty) who died 6 weeks after he was attacked by the same pack. The killer dog pack is owned by a local Shire Council employee, so no action will be taken against the owner of these wildlife killers. In fact, a special license was issued by Council to allow their employee to keep more than two dogs in a rural residential area.

These native animals were rescued by people like you and me, people who care about our native wildlife, given to Harry at Eagles Nest, loved and fed by hand for anything up to a year while they were being shown how to live a natural life on their return to the wild, then torn to shreds by a neighbour’s loved but very dangerous best friends.

“On a good day you can save a few animals and sleep well at night”, the big-hearted wildlife rescuer says. But this man with the healing touch is often called out to help our native animals when they just can’t be saved, to face the heart-wrenching decision to kill the injured animal rather than allowing it to continue to suffer.

Harry estimates that 35% of injured kangaroos he is called out to rescue are the victim of dog attack, and of those 35 kangaroos he can save only 2. His distress is obvious when he describes typical injuries imposed by out-of-control dogs. Harry says it’s better for a roo to be hit by a car, because then you have a better chance of saving the roo.

“Harry has been called out to shoot at least 20 kangaroos in the last few months and most of those are from dog attacks”, says Karin Traub, Eagles Nest main carer for orphaned baby animals. “He is just so distraught every time he has to kill an animal and the dog attacks are becoming more frequent. It seems that some dog owners just don’t know how to control their pets”.

Harry believes that these attacks are not the fault of the dogs; he puts the blame firmly on the dog owners. Harry believes that if you care for your pet, you take full responsibility for its actions and have the courage to admit that you have failed in your duty as a dog owner. Either you accept your responsibility to properly train and control your pet or you find your dog another home where it can be trained and cared for in a suitably enclosed area.

Councils in the smaller Queensland Shires often do not see the need to protect native wildlife from pet dogs, even when their Shire relies on the income generated from tourist dollars. It is estimated that our unique Australian wildlife generates millions of tourist dollars from both the Australian and international markets - yet even the economic common sense of protecting a valuable natural resource can't convince some Councils to act to protect wildlife.

People who care need to contact their local councils urging that strict animal control be enforced, with large fines for owners of dogs that are known to harm native wildlife, and that these fines should apply to all owners of rogue dogs without preferential treatment for Shire Council employees.