Shire of Pingelly declares it won’t back down on mission to contain cats through Save the Numbats Local Law

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Shire of Pingelly declares it won’t back down on mission to contain cats through Save the Numbats Local Law

The Shire of Pingelly is on a mission to save the numbats and is prepared to take its battle all the way to State Parliament’s Upper House.

The numbat is WA’s animal emblem and although the shire’s Save the Numbats Local Law will come into operation on May 23 it still faces a final legal hurdle from WA’s Joint Standing Committee of Delegated Legislation.

If the JSCDL does not approve the new law, it can tell the shire to start the process all over again, which Pingelly CEO Andrew Dover says the shire will resist by taking the matter up the chain to the Legislative Council.

“This local law has never been tested at the Upper House, so we are happy to take it there, if necessary,” he said.

“If they knock it back, it will seem like they are voting against saving numbats, which is not a good look.

“We believe we have ticked all the boxes so we just have to wait until we hear from them.”

Numbats, or banded anteaters, are an endangered species with WA’s only wild populations at Dryandra Nature Reserve, in the Shire of Narrogin, and Perup Nature Reserve in the Shire of Manjimup.

Cats and foxes are their main predators and it is cats which are the main target of Pingelly’s new law.

Camera IconFeral cats are major predators of endangered numbats. Credit: Judy Dunlop/RegionalHUB

The shire wants to restrict **** owners to two cats and for them to be contained on the owner’s property.

If anyone wants to keep more, they will have to apply to the council for a permit.

Mr Dover said there would have to be a common sense approach to policing the law and the shire would be looking at ways to help with containment, perhaps by providing grants for cat runs or “catios”.

Pingelly’s previous attempt to inaugurate a local cat law was knocked back on a technicality in 2024.

This time they have used the Shire of Narrogin’s successful template from 2016 to make sure it goes through unhindered.

The 2011 Cat Act already says domestic cats over six months old must be registered, tagged, micro-chipped and sterilised, with non-compliance risking the seizure of the **** and $5000 fines.

However, some shires have felt it does not go far enough to protect wildlife against feral cats or domestic animals whose owners have not had them desexed, or who let them roam.

Dr Louis O’Neill, an ecologist with the *********** Wildlife Conservancy, welcomed the Shire of Pingelly’s new law.

“Predation by cats was a significant cause of the numbats’ decline and is an ongoing threat,” he said.

“There are significant conservation efforts to protect the last wild numbats, with a focus on reducing cat predation.

“I wholeheartedly welcome proposals to contain domestic cats, to protect native wildlife including numbats.

“It has also been shown that containing cats is beneficial for the health and wellbeing of cats.”

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