Red Noticias | Cosmos Foundation launches responsible pet ownership campaign at the Maipo River Wetland Nature Sanctuary

Less than 5% of Pilpilén eggs hatch annually in the Maipo River Wetland Park Sanctuary. This is the assessment made by the Cosmos Foundation after three seasons monitoring the nesting of this “near-threatened” bird and promoting various conservation initiatives.

According to Chile’s National Bird Conservation Strategy, wild and domestic predators are the main threat to the reproductive success of shorebirds, a risk that increases during the summer season due to the increased presence of tourists who let their dogs roam freely on the beach.

In this context, the Cosmos Foundation, administrators of the Maipo River Wetland Nature Sanctuary, is promoting an educational campaign between January and February, with the aim of preventing visitors to Marbella Beach and the Sanctuary from bringing their dogs along, or if they do, to use leashes so their pets do not disturb the area’s birdlife.

Among the main problems caused by free-roaming dogs and those that walk off-leash with their owners are disease transmission and attacks; stalking and harassment of migratory birds during critical feeding, incubation, and resting periods; and predation and destruction of resident bird nests.

Check out the full interview here.