North York Moors National Park requests dog owners to control their dogs
Dogs may be the natural enemy of cats, but dogs at a North York Moors beauty spot are causing problems for the areas breeding birds. As a result, the park’s authority is urging dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead to stop them scaring mating birds.
The authorities believe that dogs that are let off their leads can scare away mating birds, which can leave bird eggs unattended, or newly hatched chicks at the mercy of the weather and predators. The nesting season runs from this month through to the end of July.
The park authority has requested that dog owners keep their dogs on a lead, and keep to the paths when they are taking their dogs for walks.
Sarah Blakemore, from the North York Moors National Park, stated:
The North York Moors is a special place for wildlife, in particular birds such as lapwing, curlew and snipe which nest on the ground.
Unfortunately due to several different factors, the numbers of many of these birds are declining in other parts of the country and we don’t want that to happen here.
We hope therefore that people will do their bit to encourage these birds to breed in the park by keeping their dogs on short leads when walking on the moors.
The National Park offers advice for dog owners in safely walking their dogs at the park on their website.
