Perth Voice Interactive

TURTLE TRACKERS are celebrating a “small win” after Cockburn council voted to consider increased funding for fox control. 

At its meeting on Tuesday the council approved a funding increase from $20,000 – $50,000 to be “considered for inclusion” into its 2025-26 budget, according to Cockburn director of sustainable development and safety Dan Arndt. 

The City says it has already doubled its annual allocation to $40,000 this year. 

“The proposed further funding increase to a total of $50,000 for fox control is a direct response to the loss of 118 turtles at Bibra Lake due to fox predation in May 2024 at the end of Perth’s driest six-month period on record,” Mr Arndt said. 

“This includes funds for reactive control to be undertaken due to observed increases in fox predation rates on turtles at local lakes. 

“The consideration of $40,000 for the PSWMA Fox Monitoring and Targeted Control Project will help determine how effective the existing fox control programs are in the region…it will also help to determine how the City’s control can be undertaken in the most effective manner.”

Two weeks ago, the Herald reported complaints from Bibra Lake volunteer group Walliabup Wildlife Warriors about the City’s response to a turtle massacre at the hands of foxes last year. 

The Warriors had called for increased funding for the City’s fox control program, as well as quarterly fox control efforts which they say is most effective to curb Cockburn’s fox population. 

Warriors secretary Felicity Bairstow says the announcement is “definitely a positive” for turtle conservation efforts, but the funding commitment is well below what they’d called for. 

“We are making some progress, just not quite as much as we’d like to,” Ms Bairstow said. 

“We’d done a pretty thorough analysis and got our own quotes…we wanted the fox control [funding] increased to $90,000 a year. 

“Several people on the Council made it clear that there was still a possibility to get that increase,” she said. 

Mr Arndt said the City also hoped the Perth South West Metropolitan Alliance could push for a coordinated response by other councils in the area and state government help to improve control on its land.

“It will be important that increased efforts by the City are complemented by increase control by various state government agencies that manage conservation reserves.” 

Mr Arndt also highlighted that the new $50,000 allocation is “more than double” than that of surrounding local governments. 

“Our City began advocating for a regional fox monitoring and targeted control program in the weeks following the devastating turtle deaths at Bibra Lake,” Mr Arndt said. 

“The City of Cockburn has been deeply committed to protecting the local Southwestern snake-necked turtle population for many years and continues to explore ways to enhance turtle conservation.” 

However, the Warriors say it is a “bit cheeky” for Cockburn to be boasting about its potential increased funding. 

“The City of Cockburn is by far the largest local government area in the region,” Ms Bairstow said. 

“If you look at Melville, who is a neighbour, it’s a third of the size of the City of Cockburn, so if we’re spending twice as much on fox control, we probably might not be doing enough still. 

“It’s not a comparison,” she said.

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER