Bayside City Council is not responsible for injuries to native wildlife in unsafe nesting boxes placed without permission in the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve (YWNR).
Council has acted responsibly and in accordance with its role as the responsible manager of the site, agreements and legislative obligations.
We are committed to ensuring wildlife welfare, public safety and environmental responsibility remain paramount.
It is disappointing that misinformation of this kind is being shared when Council is working to create a magnificent public natural space to be shared by all of our community.
Council is aware of the unauthorised installation of nest boxes by third parties at the reserve which in many cases present public safety issues and have not been appropriately installed. Each nest box was assessed by an ecological consultant, who recommended that several nest boxes should be modified, removed or relocated elsewhere within the reserve.
The relocation of nest boxes was undertaken by a professional ecological consultant in March 2026. Key stakeholders, including the Yalukit Willam Nature Association, were informed of the nest box relocations, which were undertaken in accordance with the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
The inspections prior to relocation confirmed a range of wildlife using nest boxes across the reserve, including possums, bats, sugar gliders and birds.
Three empty nest boxes were removed or relocated to address safety or construction issues in the process, with one ringtail possum observed stuck in an unsafe nest box and one rainbow lorikeet taken to a local veterinarian. No other animals have been removed or handled by Council or its contractors through this process.
Council is continuing to ensure that any works that may impact habitat in the reserve are done in a carefully considered, safe and controlled manner, and in accordance with expert advice and relevant legislation.
The significant wetland project is led by Bayside City Council with funding support from the Australian Government.
