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What you can doBe aware <strong>of</strong> the problem. Don’t encourage pest <strong>animals</strong>by feeding. Take responsibility for your own pet <strong>animals</strong>and farm <strong>animals</strong>, and don’t permit them to stray.Manage pests using recommended control programs.Actions• If you are considering fencing, exclusion fences forcats and foxes should be at least 1800 mm highand have an overhang extending 600 mm to prevent<strong>animals</strong> climbing over. Electric wires are unnecessary.• Weeds can harbour rabbits and foxes and should becontrolled (see Action sheets 7).• If you have a cat or dog, register it, desex it if it’snot part <strong>of</strong> a breeding program and ensure itdoesn’t wander.• Did you know <strong>Yarra</strong> <strong>Ranges</strong> has a cat curfew?Under the curfew, cat owners are required to keeptheir <strong>animals</strong> inside or in an enclosure, between thehours <strong>of</strong> 8 pm and 6 am, in an effort to prevent nativewildlife, including possums and birds, from beingattacked by cats.• Larger-scale landholdings should plan their controlactivities through a sustained management programsimilar to the actions taken by Council on the land itis responsible for.What Council will doCouncil will provide educational materials, generaland technical advice on how to control pests,and contact details for contractors who can helpresidents control pest <strong>animals</strong>.Council owns and controls some 600 parcels <strong>of</strong>land and manages road reserves. On this landCouncil will:• Take a landscape-wide approach to largerareas beyond the scale <strong>of</strong> single properties• Systematically tackle priority areas and focuson the key threats• Conduct targeted pest control programs• Act to achieve community co-operation• Coordinate cross-land management programswith private landowners.Did you know <strong>Yarra</strong> <strong>Ranges</strong>has a cat curfew?
Legal responsibilityThe main governing legislation is the Catchmentand Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), Part 8: Noxiousweeds and pest <strong>animals</strong>. The Act creates categories<strong>of</strong> prohibited, controlled and regulated <strong>animals</strong>.These include foxes, rabbits, feral pigs, feral goatsand wild dogs. The Act also sets out <strong>of</strong>fencesrelates to importing, keeping, trading in or releasingpest <strong>animals</strong>.The Wildlife Act 1975 (Vic) creates various <strong>of</strong>fencesrelating to wildlife, makes it an <strong>of</strong>fence for dogs orcats to attack wildlife, and also regulates hunting<strong>of</strong> deer.Under the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) AnimalsAct 1996 (Vic) all cat owners in Victoria are legallyrequired to register cats aged over six months withCouncil annually.The impact <strong>of</strong> pest<strong>animals</strong> on threatenedspecies is dramaticand we are likely tolose many <strong>of</strong> our smallmammal species suchas the Smoky Mouse.
<strong>Yarra</strong> <strong>Ranges</strong> CouncilAnderson StreetPO Box 105Lilydale Vic 31401300 368 333yarraranges.vic.gov.auRelated materialsGuidelines<strong>Yarra</strong> <strong>Ranges</strong> Council Flora & Fauna Plan 2012: Sustaining biodiversityfor current and future generations <strong>Yarra</strong> <strong>Ranges</strong> Council Environment DepartmentWebsites• www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au• www.dse.vic.gov.au• www.dpi.vic.gov.au• www.environment.gov.au• Invasive Species• http://vro.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/pest_<strong>animals</strong>• http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/plants-and-<strong>animals</strong>/invasive-species• BrochuresWandering Cats - Cat Curfew - available at <strong>Yarra</strong> <strong>Ranges</strong> Council Community LinksPhoto acknowledgements: Peter Menkhorst
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