Pets invade bird sanctuary during lockdown

A spate of dog and cat invasions of the Omaha Shorebird Sanctuary (North Omaha Reserve) during lockdown has prompted the Omaha Shorebird Protection Trust to urge residents to keep their animals under control. 

Trust volunteer Denis O’Callahan says the trust has ample evidence from its trail cameras and paw-print tracking that dogs are running loose there, and cats are hunting at night.

One recent video posted on Facebook shows a “beagle type” dog scrambling up a sandbank within the sanctuary.

Denis says cats must be kept inside at night and dogs are not allowed within the sanctuary nor on the main beach north of Walkway 2, nor on the estuary beach north of the car park steps.

“The endangered dotterels and oystercatchers are preparing their nesting sites and soon the godwits will arrive from Alaska,” he says.

He adds that it is critical that residents are especially vigilant during lockdown as trust volunteers are unable to continue normal conservation efforts and could be sanctioned by Auckland Council for doing so.

Denis says the sanctuary is protected by an animal-proof fence. However, on its western side the fence only reaches as far as the high-tide mark and can be circumvented by cats and dogs at low tide.