Dog owners in the City of Cockburn are being asked to keep their pets on leads in bushland reserves to support efforts to manage the local feral fox population. The request is part of the city's fox monitoring program and its education for sustainability plan, expected by the end of the 2025-26 financial year.
A city report highlighted that people walking dogs off-lead at night have been disrupting fox control activities. During August and September, the city's contractor removed five foxes from Bibra Lake during night patrols. The contractor noted that too many bushwalkers and off-lead dogs using reserves during the day made it unsafe to carry out control activities, with reserves sometimes not clear until 11pm.
The city's preferred control method is soft jaw trapping, allowing humane euthanasia of captured foxes. On rare occasions, with WA Police permission, foxes may be shot under strict conditions. Baits are not used due to risks to other animals. Public safety remains the top priority, according to city director Dan Arndt.
The Perth South West Metropolitan Alliance is coordinating a new monitoring program with 18 cameras across Cockburn, Melville, and Kwinana. The cameras will operate for about three years, transmitting images via 4G to an online platform. Alliance director Warwick Carter said foxes prey on species like quenda and snake-necked turtles, and a coordinated regional approach is needed as foxes roam across boundaries.
The city spent $37,653 on fox control in 2024-25 and has allocated $50,000 for 2025-26, plus $40,000 to the alliance's project. Community members are encouraged to report fox sightings directly to the city. Australia's fox population is about 1.7 million, and research shows foxes took just 60 years to colonise the continent, killing about 300 million native animals annually.
