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Warning as animals killed, staff attacked and wildlife disturbed by loose dogs on nature reserves

As nature reserves head into the busiest time of the year conservationists have warned that dogs off leads are causing injury and disturbance to animals and people.

Warning: this article contains an image of a dead animal some people may find upsetting

The Wildlife Trust BCN has taken the difficult decision to publish an image of a sheep which was killed by loose dog at Pegsdon Hills reserve in Bedfordshire recently despite clear signage that dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.

Other incidents relating to loose dogs recently include

  • A small dog killed by a larger dog off a lead at Trumpington Meadows in Cambridge
  • A reserve officer injured by a loose dog at Waresely Wood in Cambridgeshire whilst working
  • A visitor bitten by a dog at Beechwoods reserve near Cambridge
  • Staff receiving verbal abuse and intimidation from dog owners when asked to put dogs on a lead
Pegsdon sheep attacked

“We don’t like sharing pictures and stories like these, and it’s not something we have done lightly,” said Conservation Director Matt Jackson.

“This sheep at Pegsdon was chased into a fence and died as a result. Our reserve officer had to come out and deal with the situation – it’s the latest in a line of similar incidents and has caused distress for staff members who work hard to care for these animals and the reserve.

“Elsewhere staff and visitors have been attacked by loose dogs – our conservation officers are simply doing their job and visitors are enjoying these special places. No-one deserves to feel fear at work or on a nature reserve.

“While we welcome responsible dog walkers, our nature reserves are there primarily for wildlife and for people to enjoy seeing it. We’re wildlife conservationists and we love all animals, many of us have dogs of our own and we rely on working dogs to help us manage many of our sites. But our rules state clearly that all nature reserves – aside from a small number of designated areas – are for dogs on leads only, at all times of the year.”

In the Nene Valley Special Protection Area (SPA) – a designated landscape area that covers our Nene Wetlands, Summer Leys and Titchmarsh nature reserves the Trust has recently employed an officer whose job involves engaging with dog walkers. The area has seen a growing number of incidents of dogs causing disturbances and there are areas where birds are not nesting year on year despite good habitat available for them.

A recent study carried out in the Nene Valley found that dogs off leads were four times more likely to cause disturbance than dogs on leads

The study recorded 4,937 visits to key locations in the SPA. In total, visits by dogs off leads led to a disturbance event in 19% of instances and dogs on leads in 4.5% of instances. The study recorded 619 disturbance events and found that dogs off leads were the most common cause of bird disturbance, leading to 42% of all disturbance events, compared to dogs on leads which led to 3% of all disturbances.

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