Dog owners asked to keep pets on lead to protect ground-nesting birds
A Wildlife Trust has pleaded with dog owners in the West Midlands to keep their dogs on a lead to protect birds.
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, a registered charity which works to protect wildlife and wild places, has said that leads are essential to prevent dogs harming ground-nesting birds.
Calls from species such as the skylark and curlew are welcome sounds of spring, but with their numbers in worrying decline, they are making their fragile nests on the ground, tucked away safely in long grass.
Therefore, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust are calling on dog walkers to keep their dogs on short leads if they are visiting moorland, fields, wetlands or our urban parks.
Jeff Sim, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s Head of Species Recovery and Nature Reserves, says: "Allowing dogs to run wild in nature reserves can be devastating for wildlife, particularly in spring when species are breeding and vulnerable.
"We’re asking dog walkers to be sensitive by keeping their animals on short leads, sticking to paths, and properly disposing of dog poo.
"Wildlife is already under enormous pressure – let's all keep dogs in check so as not to make things worse."
James Brittain-McVey, lead guitarist of The Vamps, who is also a dog owner and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts added: "I’ve learnt, as a rescue dog owner, the importance of keeping your dog under control at all times.
"And at this time of year, it’s especially important to remember that we can all play our part in helping birds breed successfully by keeping dogs on short leads in wild places – especially when so many species are having such a hard time."
