Should DCC close Bull Island?

Well the Brent geese will leave the 'sanctuary' at high tide and fly off to playing pitches and parks where they're much more prone to be disturbed by dog walkers.

Sure there should be a bit more enforcement or at least hi-visibility monitoring but it's an amenity as well as a wildlife sanctuary.

No it shouldn't be closed.

Was there at the weekend and saw so many dogs off lead in the no go zone.

Just shoot one, the outrage will be massive but people will learn instantly.

Not a good idea.

The shooter would end up in court.

The Bull Island is a biosphere, a UNESCO designated coastal ecosystem designed to balance high value nature conservation with human presence. So banning people entirely would defeat the point. It has been a lung for city dwellers for generations and the vast majority of human activity there is harmless. That said, you make a fair point. Bad behaviour needs to be stamped out quickly.

I completely agree on the golf course point. Golf courses can be a monoculture disaster for ecosystems like Bull Island. They replace diverse natural habitats with tightly managed grass, removing native plants and reducing biodiversity.

The dog situation is also a mess. Even with the new park rangers there is still dog waste everywhere, and off leash dogs are flushing flocks and gaggles of birds daily. The hare idea is a great one. I’m on the island every week and I’m already seeing plenty of rabbit scat, which suggests they’re making a comeback.

Agreed, the island shouldn't be shut off but dogs should not be near the salt marshes even on lead, in the dune systems off lead, or past the causeway on the beach at all. The seal colony is regularly chased to water by dogs, even when they are in pup. Large flocks and gaggles are flushed from the marsh when they are trying to feed and bulk up for migration. The two biggest villains on the island are irresponsible dog owners and the golf clubs.

Royal Dublin Golf Club has been on the Island since 1885.

Apparently when it opened first, the first Tee was right beside the beach. Since then the island has continued to expand so the land between the golf club and the beach is "new". I assume the Island will continue to expand over time

Thanks for the info.

It would seem that getting the golf clubs to move is a non runner.

I would have said absolutely correct 20 years ago and probably today. But I'm not so sure in 20 years to come.

I don't care where they go to be honest with you!

But you're right, they're old school with a lot of (somewhat diminished) power and money.

Too many grey areas with regards dog control.
All dogs on lead, all the time. No more poo on the pavement, no more wildlife disturbance, no more dog attacks. It’s really that simple.

If anyone thinks a dog has to be off lead to be exercised properly, I will prove to them they are wrong. A dog just wants to be walked.

If you can’t do it on a lead then you either shouldn’t have a dog, need to change the type of dog you have or get yourself a professional dog walker.

Presume all you like but you’d be wrong, I’m Irish. I also used to work with dogs professionally.

Dogs are by nature pack animals with one dog, the alpha, as their leader who keeps everyone in check.

We are now so far removed from what is natural for dogs, they are now the second most fecked up species on the planet, after ourselves.

There are now so many ifs and buts when it comes to dogs and their owners, that the only solution is - all dogs, on leads, all the time.