FOXES have been caught red-handed continuing their attacks on Bibra Lake’s vulnerable snake-necked turtles.

Last week while Bibra Lake Turtle Tracker Paul Markendale watched on helplessly from the shore, a fox dug up two  aestivating (hibernating) turtles in the middle of the lake and devoured what they could.

It follows the trackers’ discovery earlier this month of 96 turtle carcasses which showed signs of being attacked by the feral pests (“Foxes blamed for turtle deaths,” Herald, May 4, 2024).

Bibra Lake Turtle Trackers co-ordinator Joyce Gadalon told the Herald it was depressing to pass World Turtle Day on May 24 with the prospect of the local population being predated out of existence by the foxes.

• More foxes have been spotted on Bibra Lake, including one (below) that dug up a turtle for a feed as Turtle Tracker Paul Markendale watched helpless on.

“Foxes have continued to be sighted at the lake this week as it appears the City is unable to stop turtle death from happening,” Ms Gadalon said.

“Save Our Snake-Necked Turtles recovered an additional nine turtle carcasses from the lake bed last week and a further five carcasses were found by turtle trackers in bushland surrounding the lake at the same time.”

Ms Gadalon said other than Mr Markendale’s encounter, trackers had sighted two other foxes around the lake during May.

“There are now questions being raised on whether the council are meeting their obligations of controlling foxes under WA’s Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 which requires all land owners and managers to control foxes found on their land,” she said.

“Bibra Turtle Trackers are frustrated at the time it has taken local council and government agencies to action welfare checks on the remaining turtles in the lake and whether any more can be done to protect them.”

But Ms Gadalon said a meeting between the trackers and the council prompted by their speaking out had gone well.

Support

She said questions asked by staff showed there was support for the trackers within the council, but they were still finding it hard to generate action.

Meanwhile around 40 community members gathered at the Cockburn Wetlands Centre on World Turtle Day to hold a candlelight vigil for the turtles killed by the foxes, and to write to Federal Labor MP Josh Wilson urging him to support strong new nature laws.

Following a welcome to country by Whadjuk Noongar man Shaun Nannup, turtle tracker Felicity Bairstow addressed the crowd.

“Volunteers have spent hundreds of hours protecting these turtles and their babies, from protecting nesting females and their nests, to calling for feral animal control,” Dr Bairstow said.

“But we’re up against worsening climate impacts like droughts and heatwaves, and we need our national environment laws to be much stronger in order to protect wildlife.”

Wilderness Society campaigner Sarah English said climate and biodiversity crises intersected at Bibra Lake.

“As we’ve seen with the Turtle Trackers, local communities are on the frontlines of the climate and biodiversity crises, and it’s essential that they’re able to participate in environmental decision-making. 

“Community rights must be embedded in our new nature laws.”

On Wednesday the Albanese government introduced legislation in the Parliament to establish a national environmental protection agency, promising it would be a “tough cop on the beat”.

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek said one of its first tasks would be to investigate illegal land clearing and offsets, following an audit that found one in seven developments could be in breach of their conditions.

Vigil

Also on the cards under new legislation will be a new organisation, Environment Information Australia which will “provide up-to-date, transparent environmental data and information to the public”.

But while the new agencies were welcomed by environmental groups, they say they’ll be toothless unless the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was also overhauled.

The Wilderness Society, Environmental Justice Australia and Conservation Council of WA also want an independent board for the EPA, saying it would otherwise be susceptible to interference from vested interests.

The groups said the legislation didn’t give the public a “fair say” in environmental decisions.

Ms English said it was “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to create laws that worked for nature. 

“Together, we’re calling for a definition of ‘unacceptable impacts’, strong national environmental standards, and for climate change and deforestation to be addressed in the EPBC Act,” Ms English said.

by STEVE GRANT