Our wildlife rely on bushland for all or most of their needs; like foraging, shelter and breeding sites. This means preserving and improving the quality and connectivity of our bushland areas is crucial to conserving native frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals for future generations. Most native animals are easily scared and will move off quickly if startled. If you come across a native animal, keep calm and quiet. Some of the common wildlife you may come across are bobtail lizards, snakes, frogs, water and land birds.
Help us support our wildlife by:
- Planting native plants. These will attractive more wildlife to your garden as well as providing shelter and food resources for native animals.
- Setting up a bird path or frog pond. These all also help attract wildlife to your garden, especially in summer.
Unwanted visitors
Snakes
The Department of Environment and Conservation suggests that the two most commonly encountered dangerously venomous snakes in the Perth metropolitan area are Dugites and Tiger snakes. Both species are active in the day and at night in the warmer weather.
If you encounter a snake it is important to not approach or aggravate it in anyway; you should contact the Department of Parks and Wildlife’s Wildcare Hotline on (08) 9474 9055 and you will be referred to one of a number of volunteer reptile removers.
If volunteers are not available you can also contact the Town on 9383 6600. If the ranger is unable to relocate the snake, you should contact a professional snake catcher. They will normally charge a call-out fee. You can look the in Yellow Pages to locate these commercial operators.
How to prevent unwanted visitors:
Animals need food and shelter (just like us) and sometimes they can make their way into your backyard. Generally, these are occasional visits but if you have problems with a native animal, please contact your nearest wildlife specialist such as the Department of Parks and Wildlife on 9219 9840. Remember, all native animals are protected under law. It is illegal to harm or kill them.
To prevent unwanted visitors:
Keep dog and cat food bowls inside at night
Fence off areas such as vegetable patches with galvanised wire netting
Keep chicken feed in a sealed container
Bury all food scraps in your compost bin
For more information on Fauna around our Town and how to protect it, please see the information note below.