Census drives safety and funding for Halls Creek pets

It may not be as hard as herding cats, but local rangers have still had a mammoth job on their hands counting dogs in the region.

Rangers in Halls Creek conducted a dog census at the beginning of February to provide insight into local animal numbers with the aim of helping secure critical funding for ongoing health programs across the shire.

Halls Creek ranger Paul Robins said surveying the entire shire was a significant task, with efforts focused on the Halls Creek townsite and surrounding communities.

“We use the numbers predominantly to apply for grant funding and build a case to support dog and cat sterilisation programs in surrounding communities,” he said.

“These programs are vital in addressing overpopulation. It’s a huge problem having unsterilised dogs in communities, both for wildlife and for the safety of residents.”

Rangers offer free sterilisation services but rely on continued government funding to do so.

With sterilisation in a single community costing up to $40,000, the data from the census is the primary tool used to win these bids.

This approach is already seeing results with the Kundat Djaru Aboriginal Corporation recently securing a $15,000 grant through the State Animal Welfare Grant Program earlier this month to bring essential veterinary visits to remote areas within the shire.

The census recorded 472 registered dogs at the end of last year with numbers showing a steady decline.

Mr Robins noted that the ongoing efforts of the rangers had drastically improved community safety compared to previous years.

“When I first arrived, there were a couple of large packs of dogs roaming the streets,” he said.

“We don’t have that anymore, it’s now quite safe to walk the streets in Halls Creek.”

However, despite last year’s free registration drive, re-registration rates have dropped, a trend the shire hopes to reverse to avoid penalising owners.

Under current local laws, owners of unregistered dogs can face a $200 fine.

“I want to encourage people to re-register their dogs, because that’s not happening at the moment,” Mr Robins said.