There are many animals that share our backyard, some we welcome, but others are considered a nuisance. There are many ways that we can live in harmony with all animals.
Below is information on a range of animals commonly found in Greater Dandenong.
If you have found a bee/wasp nest that you would like investigated, please contact the relevant person from the list below, depending on the location of the nest.
Council is responsible for the eradication of any bee or wasp issues on council land or property. To report a bee or wasp problem to council, please contact Council's Customer Service or submit an online report.
If a bee or wasp nest is on your property, then it is your responsibility to treat the problem or seek professional advice. For information and assistance on handling bee and wasp issues visit the Department of Environment and Primary Industries website or phone 136 186.
If a nest is attached to a light pole, contact AGL on 133 000.
Requests to keep hives on a property are required to be registered with the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.
Mosquitoes increase in numbers during the spring to autumn months around our wetlands, parks and reserves. While mosquitoes can be annoying, they are an integral part of our ecosystem- male mosquitoes eat nectar and, in the process, pollinate all manner of plants. Mosquitoes are also an important food source for other animals, including bats, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other insects.
While most mosquitoes in Victoria do not carry diseases, it is important to avoid being bitten in order to protect yourself and your family from mosquito-borne diseases.
You can do this by following these tips,
For more information on protecting against mosquito bites, visit Better Health's Beat the Bite website.
Biting midges are a tiny type of fly that are associated with coastal habitats and wetlands. While their biting behaviour can be annoying, biting midges are not known to transmit any human diseases in Australia.
Follow these tips to avoid midge bites,
The best way to ensure protect yourself from mosquitoes is to keep your home mosquito free by following these tips,
You will find a detailed checklist outlining ways to keep your home mosquito free on the Better Health website.
For information and assistance, or if you notice mosquitoes are becoming an issue on Council land, contact us to make a report.
Possums are a native fauna species that have learnt to adapt to the urban environment. They are one of the only large native mammals that can still be seen in the inner city and outer suburbs.
There are two species of possum within the Greater Melbourne area, the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and the Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). Both species are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and becoming active at night. They feed on new leaves, flower buds, and fruit, as well many introduced plants that have been planted in gardens, yards and parks.
Living with possums is a part of Australian life. Watching possums run along fencelines or powerlines in the evening can be very exciting. However, when possums take up residence in your roof or eat valuable flowers and fruit trees they can be very frustrating. But it is possible for possums and humans to live in harmony together by taking a few simple steps.
The Department of Environment, Land, and Water and Planning website contains a range of information on how to deal with possums on your property, including information on possums boxes and possum deterrents.
Please note that possums are protect species under the Wildlife Act 1975 and must not be harmed in any way or kept without authority. Only Common Brushtail Possums living in buildings can be trapped, and only for the purpose of releasing them on the same property or taking them to a registered vet for euthanasia. Relocation of possums is prohibited. Common Ringtail Possums remain fully protected and may not be trapped. Breaching any of these regulations carries heavy penalties
Ducks are a common resident of Greater Dandenong lakes and wetlands. Some of the local species include the Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck and Chestnut Teal.
Ducks are an important part of the food web; they consume insects and plant matter. The parks and wetlands within the City of Greater Dandenong provide lots of natural food for them.
Silver Gulls or Seagulls as they are commonly known are an Australian native bird that is protected under the Victorian Wildlife Act 1975. Under this Act it is an offence to harm Seagulls and other protected wildlife.
Seagulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls, stout, longish Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings.
Seagulls nest in large, densely packed noisy colonies. In recent months there has been a significant increase in the number of seagulls observed within central Dandenong. They lay two or three speckled eggs in nests composed of vegetation. The young are precocial, being born with dark mottled down, and mobile upon hatching.
Seagulls are resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent birds that demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly developed social structure. For example, many colonies display mobbing behaviour, attacking and harassing would-be predators and other intruders. Many have learned to coexist successfully with humans and have thrived in human habitats.
Most gulls are ground-nesting carnivores, which take live food or scavenge opportunistically. Live food often includes crabs and small fish. Gulls have unhinging jaws which allow them to consume large prey.
Seagulls are highly adaptable feeders that opportunistically take a wide range of prey. The food taken by gulls includes fish and marine and freshwater invertebrates, both alive and already dead, terrestrial arthropods and invertebrates such as insects and earthworms, rodents, eggs, carrion, offal, reptiles, amphibians, plant items such as seeds and fruit, human refuse, chips, and even other birds.
While it can be a pleasurable experience to feed the birds, we must remember that they are wild animals and feeding can do birds a great deal of harm. Feeding wildlife inappropriate foods, like bread, rice or food scraps can cause dietary problems and sickness.
With a constant supply of unnatural foods:
Other issues caused by feeding the birds, including seagulls and pigeons, are:
Some foods may even be toxic and harm the birds or impact their long-term survival. Enjoy watching local wildlife, but please feed the bins, not the birds.
Local Wildlife carers can provide advice to businesses and assist with care of injured birds:
Animal welfare assistance:
With the warmer spring weather and summer quickly approaching City of Greater Dandenong would like to remind residents to keep a look out for snakes while out and about enjoying Council’s parks and open spaces.
Residents may come across snakes as they become more active and venture out to find warm dry open areas to sunbake, such as paths and concreted areas. You may be more likely to see snakes around water sources, but they can also be found in other parks and reserves and close to houses and infrastructure. Snakes feed on small animals such as frogs, lizards, mice and rats and are an important part of the natural environment. They are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975.
If you live in an area close to where snakes may be present there are steps you can take to discourage snakes from moving onto your property. Maintain lawns, remove rubbish and piles of building materials, timber or rocks that snakes may shelter under. Discourage mice and rats from living around your property as these will attract snakes.
If you are bitten by a snake telephone ‘000’ immediately, follow their instructions and stay as calm and still as possible until help arrives.
Foxes are a declared a pest animal under the Catchment and Land Protection Act (1994).
Foxes are common in urban environments. They are timid, resilient, adaptable and highly mobile, traveling up to 10km per night. They are a significant threat to native wildlife as well as agricultural animals like sheep and poultry.
Foxes can cause a nuisance by harassing domestic animals, eating pet food, raiding rubbish bins, defecating or digging in gardens, and chewing infrastructure such as garden hoses and irrigation systems.
Fox management is challenging, and control methods can pose risks to people and pets, so can only be undertaken by Council in fenced areas on Council land. Property owners are responsible to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of, and as far as possible, eradicate pest animals.
• Lock up chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and pet rabbits in in secure, roofed coops, particularly at night.
• Remove anything that foxes could use to hide in when trying to access poultry. This includes tall grass, junk, machinery and timber.
• Ensure that food scraps, leftover pet food scraps and excess fruit dropped by fruit trees are cleaned up and not left outside.
• Always cover your compost heap or use a compost bin.
• Never feed foxes.
• Contact a pest exterminator to remove fox dens if you discover any on your property.
• Don’t leave objects for foxes to climb over onto neighbouring properties.
• Restrict access to underneath the house.
• Remove rubbish lying around and secure bin lids.
• If you see a fox in the area, let your neighbours know so they can take action to discourage foxes from their property also.
Effective pest control of any kind requires integrated control on a landscape scale. The City of Greater Dandenong are members of the Eastern Region Pest Animal Network, which has been established in collaboration between numerous land management organisations to tackle pest animal management across Melbourne’s East collaboratively.
You can also report Fox sightings using Council's ‘Finding Biodiversity in Greater Dandenong’ iNaturalist project.
Council's Conservation Officers monitor the ‘Finding Biodiversity in Greater Dandenong’ iNaturalist project for pest animal and weed species observations made by the community to take action to protect local biodiversity.
Visit the Agriculture Victoria website for more information about Red fox characteristics and behaviour and managing foxes on your property.
Not all rodents are considered pests. Australia has more than 60 native rodent species and three introduced pest species. Many rodents are an important part of the food chain, as they are prey for meat-eating animals such as snakes and large birds. Native rodents are also important ecologically for spreading seeds and spores.
Rodent control on private property must be undertaken by the property owner. A good way to control pest rodents is to maintain good hygiene and eliminate possible food, water and shelter sources for them. Read more on the Department of Health website or see some helpful tips below.
Individuals must take great care to ensure proper identification of rodent species as native rodents are protected under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Ideally, traps should be used rather than baits to control rats and mice. Traps are effective and often low-cost.
Rat and mice poisons, known as rodenticides, are a convenient, effective way to control harmful rodents. However rodenticides can also harm and kill local wildlife and pets through direct and secondary poisoning.
First-generation rodenticides containing the active ingredients warfarin and coumatetralyl work more slowly and break down quickly in rodents. Owls and other wildlife that eat poisoned rodents are unlikely to die from secondary exposure to these rodenticides.
The use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides containing the active ingredients brodifacoum, bromadialone and difenacoum should be avoided as they are harmful to pets, birds and other wildlife that may come into contact with a poisoned rodent.
The Birdlife Australia website provides a list of products to buy and to avoid when undertaking rodent control.
You can report rodent sightings using Council's ‘Finding Biodiversity in Greater Dandenong’ iNaturalist project.
Council's Conservation Officers monitor the ‘Finding Biodiversity in Greater Dandenong’ iNaturalist project for pest animal and weed species observations made by the community to take action to protect local biodiversity.
Visit the Department of Health website for more information about rodent control.