Dog attack at Edwardes Lake in Reservoir outrages residents

They are the beloved swan family at a popular Reservoir lake — and doting locals fear for their safety after another vicious dog attack.

Residents in Melbourne’s north are fighting to protect wildlife at Edwardes Lake, after black swans were the victims of another dog attack.

Wildlife rescuer Kate Jost was at the lake in Reservoir on October 25, when she saw a leashed dog attack a family of swans as the pet owner lost control.

The swans are beloved by residents and environmentalists, fondly named Kevin and Mabel, who had five cygnets this spring.

“I just saw the dog go for the swans and feathers fly up in the air … and [heard] the noise of the distressed swan family and the dog kind of going at the swans,” Ms Jost said.

“The owner (was) trying to pull his dog back … the man had no control over the dog whatsoever.”

As a result of the attack, one of the swan cygnets died and another was badly injured and has not been recently sighted by volunteers.

Edwardes Lake's resident swans have been the subject of dog attacks, with the number of surviving cygnets dwindling.

Since the incident, a Change.org petition has amassed almost 4500 signatures from angry residents, calling on Darebin Council to improve protections around biodiversity conservation sites in the area, particularly Edwardes Lake.

Ms Jost said dog attacks happened “all the time” at the lake and a swan had been killed two years ago in a similar incident.

“The issue is, Darebin’s local law team wants to put their head in the sand with this stuff, because it’s too hard,” she said.

“It creates this divide in the community, it creates tension … it doesn’t favour the community at all.”

Residents are calling on the council to enforce responsible pet ownership through better education, as well as tightening dog restrictions in biodiversity areas and fining pet owners who disobey local law.

“There’s no law, there’s no ranger patrolling to protect biodiversity,” Ms Jost said.

“Without biodiversity, we don’t exist … our wildlife works hard to make our space comfortable, whether it’s pollinating flowers or eating insects.”

A spokesperson for Darebin Council said it “highly valued” the wildlife at Edwardes Lake and was working with local environmental groups to address issues within the community.

“This includes improving the habitats, ecological connectivity, water quality and increasing vegetation along the waterways,” they said.

The spokesperson said the work completed by the council to install a fully fenced dog park in the area showed its commitment to the cause.

“We are in the process of updating signage and information about the park, which includes details on requiring dogs to be on a lead in all other areas.”