Animals

Impounded Animals and Animal Surrenders

If your cat or dog is found wandering outside your property, it may be impounded by Council Compliance Officers. 

You can view all currently impounded stray animals on the Lost and Found Animal page.

Release of animals

Animals will only be released from the pound after full payment of impoundment and sustenance fees, and/or registration fees and microchipping fees have been made. Fees may be paid at Council's Customer Service Centres at Biloela, Moura, and Taroom or over the phone. Relevant fees are listed on Council's Fees and Charges Register.

All impounded dogs are required to be registered and microchipped prior to release. Cats are required to be microchipped.

Impounded animals will be released by appointment only. Upon collection of your animal, you may be requested to show proof of payment and photo identification.

Holding Time for Impounded Animals

Dogs and Cats will be held for three (3) days if they are not registered, and five (5) days for registered animals.  On the expiry of the holding time, animals become the property of the Council, which may result in the animal being sent to rescue, listed for adoption, or otherwise disposed of.

Unwanted Animals/Surrenders

Council may accept dogs or cats that an owner no longer wants, upon payment of the surrender fee.  Fees and Charges Register. It is preferred that the owner finds an alternative home or rescues themselves or, if necessary, organizes for the animal to be destroyed humanely by a veterinarian.

Council is unable to endorse particular rescues, please find a list of Central Queensland rescues.

Capricorn Animal Aid

Gladstone PAWS

Central Queensland Animal Society

CQ Pet Rescue Inc.

Council maintains the right to refuse to take ownership of unwanted animals if there is an apparent risk of the spread of disease, the risk to Council staff in handling the animal, and/or due to operational circumstances.

Animal Management Facility Location

The Banana Shire Council Animal Management Facility is located at:

171 State Farm Road
Biloela, Qld 
4715

Travel through the roundabout and continue down State Farm Road towards Tognolini-Baldwin Rd. The facility is situated on the left-hand side just after the creek crossing. Please alert us of your arrival by pressing the button at the front gate.

Make an Animal Complaint

The Council animal compliance team receives hundreds of complaints every year. While we understand many concerns may be resolved with friendly neighborhood conversations, at times there is a need for Council intervention.

To register a complaint, complete the relevant complaint form and submit it to Council, alternatively contact Council via the following clicking on Contact Council.

Animals Wandering at Large

As per Banana Shire Council Local Law 2 (Animal Management), an owner must not allow an animal to wander at large, and all animals must be kept under effective control whilst in a public place. If you would like to notify the Council of an animal wandering at large, please call 4992 9500, or complete an Animal Nuisance Form. If a cat or dog has entered your property, you may choose to restrain the animal and contact Council to arrange collection.

Barking/ Noise Nuisance Dogs

Banana Shire Council recognizes the positive role that our pets play within our community providing companionship, and security, and improving lives across our shire.  It is reasonable to expect that dogs will bark occasionally; however, ongoing barking is often a symptom of another problem. Communication is vital in resolving animal noise nuisance complaints within the community. Owners are responsible for ensuring their animals do not cause a nuisance by making excessive noise that disrupts or inhibits any normal activity ordinarily carried out in nearby properties.

Council’s Compliance team will liaise between complainants and animal owners to ensure all animal owners meet relevant legislation requirements regarding noise nuisances.

If you have concerns with a dog in your neighborhood, please complete the barking nuisance complaint form.

For more information regarding making a complaint, Council's processes, addressing animal noise concerns, and understanding the dog’s behavior, please refer to the Barking Dog  Fact Sheet.

Stray Cat Management

Just like dog owners, cat owners need to ensure their animal stays within their property boundaries unless it is under effective control. In most cases, the quickest and easiest way to capture and identify wandering cats if by trapping the cat.

Cat traps can be hired from Biloela, Moura, and Taroom Customer Services Centres. Delivery can also be arranged to surrounding towns. You are required to complete the cat trap hire form, with a refundable fee as per Banana Shire Council Fees and Charges. Within your hire period, and if you trap a cat DO NOT attempt to remove the cat from the trap. Bring the trapped cat to the Council's animal management facility where one of our highly trained team members can remove it safely. You can then take the trap back home if you require it for the remainder of the hire period. 

Welfare & Cruelty

If you have witnessed animal cruelty, or believe an animal is suffering from a welfare concern, please contact RSPCA.

Dispute Resolution

If a matter is out of Council's jurisdiction, there are other alternative organizations that can assist as a mediator during a dispute.

• Queensland Civil & Administrative Tribunal 
  GPO Box 1639, Brisbane Q 4001
  Phone: 1300 753 228 Fax: 07 3221 9156
  Website: www.qcat.qld.gov.au/

• Central Queensland Neighbourhood Dispute Centre 
  PO Box 542, Rockhampton Q 4700
  Phone: 07 4887 1760; 1800 817 927 (toll free outside of Rockhampton)
  Email: drc.central@justice.qld.gov.au
•  

Banana Shire Council is committed to ensuring members of the public are safe when in the community.

If the matter is life-threatening or a victim requires medical attention, please contact 000 immediately

Dog attacks can occur between dogs, other animals, and humans. When a dog attack occurs, it can have significant health implications resulting in physical or psychological damage for the injured person or animal.

Council provides a service to respond to complaints of dog attacks and aggressive dogs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact Us.

As a result of a dog attack complaint, Council will investigate the nature and factors relating to the incident and take appropriate action under State legislation: Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008. These actions could include but are not limited to, regulating a dog as either dangerous or menacing, issuing fines, seizing the dog, or placing a destruction order on the offending animal.

Dogs can show aggressive behavior for a variety of reasons. If your dog shows signs of aggressive behavior, Council suggests you consult with your veterinarian or pet behaviouralist to explore appropriate solutions before aggression results in an attack.

Here are some helpful articles:

• How to speak dog, RSPCA
• Aggression, ASPCA 
• Aggressive Dog Training Tips: Calming The Beast, Canine Journal  

For more information on declared dangerous or menacing dogs under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008.

Keeping of cats Fact sheet

Keeping of dogs Fact sheet

Dog Registration

All dogs in Queensland must be registered as per Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008. To register a dog, a Dog Registration Form must be completed by the applicant, and the required registration fees paid – Fees and charges. Animal owners must be 18 years of age.

Discounts are available for:

• pensioners on the provision of pension cards (not including permits, dangerous or menacing dog registration);
• desexed and microchipped dogs, on the provision of a desexing certificate; and
• renewal of registrations in the first month of the new financial year.

Our dog registration year runs from August to July. Renewal notices are sent via the elected method (email or post). As a responsible pet owner, it is your obligation to ensure all dogs are registered within 14 days of keeping the dog and/or is 12 weeks of age.

All details must be kept up to date as per Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008. If your dog is desexed during the registration year, you are eligible for a full refund, ensure you complete the Change of Information for Dog Registration form.

Banana Shire Council offers free reciprocal registration, meaning if your dog has current valid registration in another shire, please supply your registration certificate when submitting your registration form with Banana Shire Council.

Replacement registration tag

If your tag is lost or damaged, a replacement tag can be obtained from Council by paying a small fee.

Prohibited/Restricted Dogs

You must not keep a restricted dog unless Banana Shire Council has issued you a restricted dog permit.

The following breeds are restricted dogs:

• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• Japanese Tosa
• American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier
• Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario.

If you own or are considering taking ownership of any of the above dogs, please Contact Council. 

Working Dog Registration

Working dogs are required to be registered with Council, and upon approval are exempt from registration fees.

To be eligible to register a Working Dog with Council, the animal owner must meet the below criteria.

The definition in the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 states a Working dog is: a dog usually kept or proposed to be kept:

• On rural land; and
• by an owner who is a primary producer, or a person engaged or employed by a primary producer; and
• primarily for the purpose of droving –
• protecting, tending, or working stock; or
• being trained in droving, protecting, tending, or working stock; and

Primary Producer - means a person primarily engaged in the occupation of:

• dairy farmer; or wheat, maize, or cereal grower; or cane grower; or fruit grower; or grazier; or farmer, whether engaged in general or mixed farming, cotton, potato, or vegetable growing or poultry or pig raising;  and 
• b) includes a person engaged in primary production.

Please refer to the Animal Management (Cats & Dogs) Act 2008 for a full definition

To apply for a working dog, please complete the Registration of Working Dog(s) form.

All cats and dogs are required to be microchipped once they reach 12 weeks of age as outlined in the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008.

When you sell or give away a dog or cat, it is the responsibility of the person selling the animal to ensure it is microchipped before it is passed on to the new owner. Owners that have dogs and cats that are not microchipped risk incurring fines.

A microchip is an identification device that is implanted under the animal's skin, it is approximately the size of a grain of rice.  Implanted by an approved implanter, the microchip causes no discomfort or pain to your pet and should last a lifetime. Owner and pet details are required by law to be updated as they change.

To update your pet's microchip details, please refer to petaddress.com.au

To purchase a microchip, complete the following form and pay the associated fees at one of Banana Shire Council Customer Service centers in Biloela, Moura, and Taroom. If your dog is impounded, it will be microchipped before it is released. Otherwise, you can contact one of the following veterinary clinics or the Council compliance team to get the microchip implanted.

List of local vet clinics:

Moura Veterinary Clinic
17 Theodore Road, Moura Qld 4718
P: 07 4997 1403

Dr. Sandy Mobile Vet Services
P: 0429 357 228
E: sandysmithvet@gmail.com

Callide Valley Veterinary Clinic
26 Gladstone Road, Biloela Qld 4715
P: 07 4992 1814
E: admin@callidevalleyvet.com

Taroom Vets
29 Yaldwyn Street, Taroom Qld 4420
P: 07 4627 3130
E: admin@taroomvetsurgery.com

Permitted Animals and Quantities/Number of Pets/Animals Permitted

In line with Banana Shire Council Local Laws, in a town or village zone, no more than two (2) dogs and cats may be kept on any property, unless a permit has been approved and issued by Council. To apply for an additional animal permit, complete this Additional Animal Permit Form. An approved permit will allow up to and including 4 dogs on a property. If you are considering keeping additional dogs or cats, please refer to the Allowed Animal Types and Numbers Fact Sheet. 

Livestock in Town or Village Zones

Livestock (eg horses, cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, camels, llamas, alpacas) are not permitted in a town or village zone except where the property is at least 2ha (5 acres or 20,000m2) in size and a permit has been obtained from Council.

Livestock is only permitted in a rural residential zone, on properties with an area greater than 3000m2.

The maximum density of animals is to be 1 per 2500m2 for sheep and goats, and 1 per 3000m2 for other livestock.

Where grazing behavior is likely to cause damage to neighboring property, animals must be isolated from the property at risk, for example through a fenced area with a 3m setback from property boundaries.

Enclosures must be constructed to prevent the animal from going within 10m of any dwelling on an adjoining property.

Stallions and bulls:  are not permitted in a town or village zone.  Enclosures for stallions must be:

• at least 1.8m high and constructed so as to reasonably prevent the animal from escaping
• at least 20m from any residence on an adjoining property
• at least 2m from any property boundary

Pigs: pigs are not permitted in a town area except where development approval to keep pigs has been granted under the town planning scheme.

Where pigs are permitted to be kept, the enclosure must be at least 60m from any residence on adjoining premises, and at least 30m from any property boundary.

Livestock complaints

If you have a complaint regarding livestock within a town and village zone, please fill out the Local Laws Nuisance Complaint Form or contact Banana Shire Council.

If you have a livestock-related complaint in rural areas please contact the Banana Shire Council Rural Services Department 07 4992 9500.

Wildlife and Invasive Animals

Council only has a limited ability to deal with issues relating to wildlife. We may be able to assist with the following: 

• Invasive animals such as dingoes, foxes, and feral pigs
• Magpies
• Flying Foxes

For more information about other types of wildlife visit the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection website. Please note that animals native to Queensland are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and it is an offense to kill a protected animal.