Tanya Morrison. PHOTO: ODT FILES How to keep a rooster quiet was among the questions councillors considered when it came to controlling the keeping of animals in Dunedin. Councillors heard there were a few things Dunedin City Council staff advised when it came to quietening down roosters, including the darkening of enclosures. But they were also aware of some ‘‘alternative solutions’’. ‘‘There’s some theories around collars and the like,’’ environmental health and alcohol licensing team leader Tanya Morrison said at Thursday’s meeting. The keeping of animals bylaw is due for review and councillors voted last week to approve a draft for consultation. Initial engagement found the bylaw seemed to be working well in addressing issues around keeping animals in Dunedin, so no substantive changes were proposed, a report said. Of 139 submitters, only 13 (9%) reported having any rooster-related problems in residential areas within the past five years, and four when it came to bees (3%). At the meeting, Cr John Chambers questioned if many people applied for a permit to keep a rooster in the city and ‘‘do they have anything they can do to stop the rooster making a lot of noise?’’ Ms Morrison said quite a few people applied for permits. Having one meant you could keep a rooster as long as it did not wake up the neighbours. Ms Morrison later said she was ‘‘not suggesting for a moment’’ the council endorse an option such as collaring roosters. ‘‘But we are aware of some other alternative solutions to try to quieten roosters over the years we’ve heard of and that is one of them. ‘‘I’m unable to comment on the success of that initiative.’’ Cr Russell Lund said he was ‘‘firmly on the side of roosters’’. ‘‘I do think they add local colour.’’ But he did raise the issue of rooster dumping and questioned if there were ‘‘packs of roosters running riot in the city’’. Cr Jo Galer said 9% seemed relatively significant. She questioned what the threshold for being an annoyance was and what kind of concerns this caused people. Ms Morrison said there was a historic case related to a rooster that went through the Environment Court. When it came to cats, Ms Morrison said a few questions were raised about the inclusion of cat-specific provisions in the bylaw. There were existing provisions and wild or feral cats also fell outside of the bylaw’s scope. ‘‘A lot of the issues that we are seeing are from stray and from feral cats.’’ Deputy mayor Cherry Lucas said the initial engagement showed the issues were limited for most people. Where they did arise, particularly with noise from roosters, they were effectively managed through the existing rules. Residents cared about broader animal-related matters, particularly around cats. While those issues sat largely outside the bylaw’s scope, the council would continue to address them through education partnerships and advocacy at a national level, Cr Lucas said.
