We the undersigned, concerned citizens, Bass Coast community members and ratepayers, dog owners, conservationists and wildlife advocates, call upon the Bass Coast Shire Council (BCSC) to immediately reassess the regulations allowing off-leash dogs at the San Remo back beach/foreshore. And in adherence to the council’s DAMP (Domestic Animal Management Plans) increase and update signage, increase ranger patrols and enforce breaches of beach regulations.

Please view this video of dogs frequenting wombat and joeys’ burrows.

The San Remo back beach is managed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, however, the BCSC regulates off-leash dogs on the beach. The adjoining ecologically sensitive woodland is filled with wombats and their vulnerable joeys, including those infected with contagious mange. Scores of off-leash dogs are frequenting and entering wombat burrows, posing a preventable and unreasonable threat to wombats. Dog owners without voice control, who allow dogs to stray out of sight, or don’t pick up their dog’s faeces, are breaching council regulations, and putting their dogs, wombats and other wildlife at risk.

In January 2025, Friends of San Remo Wombats presented the BCSC with video evidence of dog activity in and around wombat burrows in San Remo. But the BCSC has failed to act to enforce their dog regulations or investigate breaches reported to them. If the BCSC won’t, or can’t, appropriately regulate and enforce the rules currently in place, they must immediately reassess the rules to ensure dogs are always leashed, or at least, significantly reduce the times off-leash dogs are allowed. It's unreasonable for the council to not support rule changes no matter what happens to protected wombats.

Rapid recent residential development in San Remo (with more to come) has pushed wombats into a dwindling habitat corridor along the San Remo foreshore. The vegetation and dunes are filled with native woodland birds, echidna, wallaby, lizards, snakes, and the beach is home to shore birds, including the vulnerable hooded plover.

Dogs are natural predators to wombats, therefore dog activity in and around burrows interferes with wombats’ natural feeding and sleeping regimes, breeding and social behaviours and increases stress - particularly for wombats infected with mange and mothers protecting their joeys.

We are calling for the council to:

• Reassess the allowance of off-leash dogs on the San Remo back beach/foreshore
• Create a Wildlife Protection Zone
• Provide regular ranger patrols of the beach, to provide community education AND to enforce breaches to council regulations
  and/or the Wildlife Act 1975 (DEECA has subsequently (Oct, 2025) informed us that there are no associated breaches of the Wildlife Act 1975, in terms of dogs visiting or entering wombat burrows). 

AND

Provide additional and improved signage to indicate the following: 

• disallowing off-leash dogs along the San Remo foreshore OR at least new significantly reduced times that off-leash dogs are allowed
• directing dog owners that sand dunes and vegetation, as a Wildlife Protection Zone, are out-of-bounds for dogs
• alerting dog-owners that dogs are at risk from snakes in the vegetation
• a reminder for dog owners to pick up their dog’s faeces
• the beach is patrolled, and failure to abide by the rules may result in a fine.

Friends of San Remo Wombats continues to treat and monitor wombats for mange, advocate for the welfare wombats and report any wombat threats to the council and other authorities. We will continue to educate the public about what they can do to help local wombats.

The wombats suffer enough without the stress from dog activity

Thank you for your support in enacting change for San Remo wombats.

Eve Kelly
Friends of San Remo Wombats

Please support San Remo wombats by adding your name, address and signature to our open letter or petition.

Don't like signing petitions? That's ok, please contact friendsofsanremowombats@gmail.com and we'll email you the open letter to sign as an individual or organisation, electronically or by hand.

*Note all names, addresses and signatures will be transferred to one document for submission to the Bass Coast Shire Council. Your address will not be published by the council according to the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.

No need to donate to this petition, just scroll down to 'share' instead. But do consider donating to https://www.wombatprotection.org.au/donate or Mange Management Inc. or  to help us continue our important work. 

This wombat joey is at risk from off-leash dogs entering their burrow

Friends of San Remo Wombats acknowledge the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of the land and waters of the Bass Coast. We recognise their continued connection to lands, waters and communities and recognise their role in maintaining and caring for the land, waterways and wildlife of this area for thousands of years. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging. 
 
More reading:
Please visit us on Facebook
Friends of San Remo Wombats

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/publications/protecting-our-wildlife-responsible-pet-ownership

https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/learn/fact-sheets/responsible-pet-ownership

https://mangemanagement.org.au/treating-mange/

https://www.wombatprotection.org.au/

Bad dog? The environmental effects of owned dogs

A Review of Dog Impacts to Beach-nesting Birds and Management Solutions 

Domestic Dogs and Unintended Impacts on Wildlife

The impacts of dogs on wildlife and water quality: A literature review 

The ecological impact of humans and dogs on wildlife in protected areas in eastern North America

OP-ED: WHY DOGS BELONG ON A LEASH OUTDOORS

Wombat woes

Hiking With Your Dog Off-Leash Could Create Problems for Nature

Unraveling the impact of dog-friendly spaces on urban–wildland pumas and other wildlife

Parasite spread at the domestic animal - wildlife interface

Fear of predators in free-living wildlife reduces population growth over generations

All rights reserved by Eve Kelly 2025