Domestic Animals

Roaming and/or dangerous domestic animals should should be reported to Council and our Ranger will be notified to tend to the animals. Roaming and/or dangeous animals will be impounded by Council and held for a statutory period in which time they can be collected by their owners. For further details please see our Animal Pound section.

Native Animals - Snakes, Possums, Koalas, Kangaroos and other Protected Species

Contact WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue & Education Services) to report an injured animal or to report a snake that is posing a threat.
Wires: Phone: 1300 094 737.

Magpie Attacks

For most of the year magpies are not aggressive, but for four to six weeks during nesting they will often defend their territory vigorously. People walking past may be seen as 'invaders' of the territory, prompting the magpies to fly low and fast over the person.

Magpies and the Law

Magpies are protected throughout NSW, and it is against the law to kill the birds, collect their eggs, or harm their young. If you feel a magpie is a serious menace, it should be reported to the police or the nearest office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

National Parks and Wildlife Service – Coonabarabran Office
Phone: 02 6842 0200

The NPWS can issue a Section 120 License to the owner of the property where the magpie is located. This license allows the property owner to ”harm native fauna”. However, the person given the responsibility of destroying/removing the bird, must also obtain a Section 121 License.

Say no to native animals as pets

We know we have amazing wildlife literally on our doorstep, but please don't think about keeping any as pets. The Council does not endorse keeping snakes or other native Australian wildlife as pets.
As the RSPCA states, such animals are "adapted to the wild, rarely enjoy human company or handling and are predominantly nocturnal in their habits".
Let's leave them in their own homes, not ours.