Nowadays, it might feel like you can bring a dog anywhere. Errands, the office, you name it. For the sake of wildlife, however, there are some limits to how far that should go.
As Yahoo! News reported, an Australian couple recently found this out the hard way. A misguided trip to a national park with their pooch ended up costing them over $1,500 in fines.
Rangers photographed the pair hanging out on a beach at Michaelmas Cay National Park with their pet kelpie in tow. The problem with the whole picture is that pets are forbidden in Australia's national parks, and Michaelmas Cay is a natural habitat for protected seabirds.
Pets can frighten parent birds, and the ripple effect may expose their chicks to threats from the sun or predation, according to rangers. The specific sandy area the couple was relaxing in is also home to 20,000 birds during nesting season, per Yahoo! News.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife's Dan Schaper told Yahoo! News that "Michaelmas Cay provides critical habitat and breeding grounds for seabirds, which nest all year round on the coastal outcrops and can be easily disturbed by people and especially by domestic animals."
Australian seabirds are currently under threat due to the increase in tropical storms caused by our changing climate. Researchers say the birds play an important part in the local ecosystem by transporting nutrients between the sea and the land.
This costly situation for the couple emphasizes the need to vacation responsibly, especially when visiting national parks. When we enter into the home of wild animals, we have a responsibility to abide by rules designed to protect ourselves, our pets, and nature.
It's not the time to be petting or feeding wild animals, getting the perfect up-close picture for Instagram, or reintroducing your pet into the wild. That can be dangerous for you, your pets, and wildlife.
Australia's environmental agency shared the details of the couple's case publicly to discourage other pet owners from making the same mistake.
"If part of a national park is closed, it is closed for good reason, either to keep people safe or to protect the environment," Schaper said.
When it comes to pets, he said, "They can carry diseases or injure protected wildlife."
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