An Adelaide Hills wildlife rescue has renewed its campaign for consistent statewide cat containment laws after meeting with the State Government this week.
Bev Langley, from Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre at Cherry Gardens, hosted Environment Minister Emily Bourke, Waite MP Catherine Hutchesson, Davenport MP Erin Thompson and other stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss cat management and the impact roaming cats are having on native wildlife.
Ms Langley has been advocating for stronger cat containment laws for several years, saying the rescue regularly treats injured birds and other native animals that have been attacked by cats.
Following the meeting, she encouraged South Australians who support 24-hour cat containment to contact the State Government and share their experiences and concerns.
“Moving forward from here, it’s imperative if you want to see 24/7 cat containment brought in at Government level to protect cats from bird flu and save wildlife, you need to email the Government to tell them that’s what you want,” Ms Langley wrote on social media.
“Tell them your story, your concerns and why cat containment will fix it.”
Davenport MP Erin Thompson described the meeting as an “important discussion” focused on wildlife protection and cat management.
She said Ms Langley had been advocating for better cat management for many years and thanked those involved for contributing to what she described as a constructive conversation about protecting native wildlife, keeping pet cats safer and reducing the risk of disease such as bird flu.
South Australia is currently working towards reforms to create a more consistent statewide framework for cat management.
At present, cat containment rules vary between local councils. Some, including Adelaide Hills Council and the City of Mitcham, require cats to be contained on their owner’s property at all times, while others, including the Mount Barker District Council, have overnight cat curfews.
The State Government has previously acknowledged the current mix of council by-laws can create confusion for pet owners and communities, with reforms aimed at delivering a more consistent approach across South Australia.
