Water troughs on your property can be a fatal hazard to native wildlife including birds, amphibians and marsupials.
Animals are drawn to water sources, but deep troughs designed for livestock like cattle and horses are not always friendly for smaller animals looking for a drink.
Anything from owls, to pygmy possums, frogs or cockatoos could be vulnerable, and risk injury or drowning if they cannot find a way out.
One way to protect wildlife on your property and your valuable water resource is to put a fauna egress ramp in to help these native critters get to safety.
The installation of fauna egress ramps and mesh netting is a requirement for water sources on remote minesites, and there is guidance from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for mining companies.
You can help on a smaller scale by retrofitting a basic ramp or mesh in deep troughs and pools on your property to provide an exit point for native wildlife.
Well-placed rocks, sticks and flotation devices can also provide safe exit points for small animals and birds.
Black-cockatoos rely heavily on artificial water sources such as dams and troughs throughout the Wheatbelt, especially during the breeding season.
They are also more vulnerable to predation when drinking so close to the ground
To help them you can also consider the installation of a sentry perch nearby (if your trough is not near a fence or tree) of more than 1m in width to allow greater security for black-cockatoos coming in to drink.
This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.