Islanders urged to join the "wild poo party" in a bid to battle dog waste

Friday 21 June 2024

A new project has been set up by local dog walkers to combat the amount of discarded animal waste in popular spots and promote responsible pet ownership.

The Wild Poo Project was created by dog walking company Spotted Wellies alongside members of the Jersey Dog Forum.

On the inaugural walk, Gail Bennie – one of the project's founding members – collected a staggering 86 bags of dog waste from the sand dunes.

She told Express that she hoped the Wild Poo Project would encourage other islanders to do the same.

"I wanted to people like me [who pick up waste regularly] to unite in one place," she said.

"I usually pick up around 20-30 pieces of dog waste each day on my walks, but last week was revolting."

Pictured: Some of the 86 bags of waste collected by Gail Bennie last week.

Gail explained that members of the Jersey Dog Forum had been supportive of the Spotted Wellies initiative, and similarly picked up extra waste on their walks.

"I was really impressed with the amount of people on the Forum that did this already," she said. "It highlights the problem we have [with dog fouling in Jersey]."

Those joining the Wild Poo Project are asked to take a photo of how much dog waste they collect and post it on the group.

At the end of each month, a donation will be made to one of various dog charities.

Gail admitted that the island's dog fouling issue will probably "never change", but she hopes that the Wild Poo Project will allow islanders to "enjoy Jersey's lovely wild beauty spots" again.