Brisbane City Council identifies wild animal hot spots

SOUTHEAST Queensland is being swamped by feral animals. And figures show their numbers are increasing at an alarming rate. Here’s what to look out for.

Feral cat trapping is on the rise in Brisbane.

WILD animals are invading Brisbane’s suburbs at a rapid rate.

There were 1262 wild dogs, pigs, foxes, cats and deer captured in the past financial year — almost double the number of captures two years ago.

Brisbane City Council data revealed the city’s suburbs that had the most number of wild animals spotted in 2015/2016.

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Wild dog sightings:

1. Upper Brookfield

2. Brookfield

3. Mt Coot-tha

4. Moggill

5. Chapel Hill

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Pig sightings:

1. Brookfield

2. Banyo

3. Carindale

4. Nudgee

5. Upper Brookfield

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A wild dog. Picture: Lee Allen.

Fox sightings:

1. Fig Tree Pocket

2. Carina

3. Mt Gravatt East

4. Camp Hill

5. Holland Park

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Cat sightings:

1. Coopers Plains

2. Wynnum

3. Inala

4. Forest Lake

5. Annerley

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Deer sightings:

1. Pullenvale

2. Brookfield

3. Jindalee

4. Upper Brookfield

5. Pinjarra Hills

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Environment Parks and Sustainability chairman David McLachlan said pest animals including wild dogs, pigs, foxes, feral cats and deer all harmed the city’s natural environment.

“Pest animals can threaten native wildlife, including endangered species and harm family pets.

In the last financial year council received more than 1200 wild animal sightings from the public,” Cr McLachlan said.

“The number of feral cats captures by council increased by around 20 per cent over the past year to over 1000 which is a concerning rise in the number in our city.”

Council conducts a pest management program based on the reported sightings.

“Trapping is traditionally targeted to natural areas including waterways, bushland and wetlands as well as parks and other public areas where pest animals have been seen,” Cr McLachlan said.

Over the next six months trapping will take place at 37 locations across Brisbane including fox trapping at:

■ Karawatha

■ Boondall Wetlands

■ Mt Coot-tha

■ Mt Gravatt

■ Burbank

■ Moorooka

■ Sunnybank

■ Ransome

■ Gumdale

■ Morningside

■ Forest Lake

■ Wakerley

■ Wacol

■ Willawong

Feral Red Fox

Deer trapping at:

■ Anstead

■ Jindalee

■ Kholo

■ Lake Manchester

■ Brookfield

■ Upper Brookfield

■ Oxley

■ Darra

■ Pullenvale

■ Pinjarra Hills

■ Mt Ommaney

Herd of wild deer.

Cat trapping at:

■ Kelvin Grove

■ Algester

■ Northgate

■ Annerley

■ Acacia Ridge

■ Woolloongabba

■ Wynnum West

■ Belmont

■ Sherwood

■ MacGregor

■ Archerfield

■ Bald Hills

A feral cat.

Cr McLachlan said pet owners needed to be responsible for their pets to reduce the number of domestic animals becoming feral.

“Council provides discounted microchipping and desexing of pets, which helps lost pets be reunited with owners and also helps reduce increases in feral animal populations.”