Emu raids on WA town's rubbish tip spark calls to bolster site security

Emu raids on Nannup's rubbish tip spark growing concerns for mob's healthVBy Verity HughesABC South West WATopic:Birds6m ago6 minutes agoMon 16 Feb 2026 at 10:30pmNannup residents say emus have been caught trespassing into the tip. (Supplied: Daryl Barton)In short:A mob of emus are raiding Nannup's rubbish tip for food and getting tangled in rubbish.The birds descend on the town in the summer months in search of water and food.Residents want more security at the rubbish tip to protect the mob's health.abc.net.au/news/nannup-emus-raiding-rubbish-tip/106350754Link copiedShareShare articleA West Australian country town is growing increasingly concerned over emu raids on the community's rubbish tip.The mob in Nannup, about 270 kilometres south of Perth, have been spotted with rotisserie chicken bags and other assorted rubbish stuck around their necks amid an ongoing search for food and water.Daryl Barton said the emus's easy access to the rubbish tip was an escalating problem, and he blamed a lack of security and fencing."There seems to be more and more there now. They've always been around," he said."They've got easy access and are in and out whenever they want."It is the latest flashpoint in Nannup's long-running challenges with emus, which roam through town in the dry summer months, feeding on vegetable gardens and disrupting traffic.Nannup's emusOn Saturday, Mr Barton took photos of emus at the tip with what appeared to be a pipe and a rotisserie chicken bag around their necks."They're basically living off the tip rubbish, which is really sad," he said."I'm not sure whether it was a plastic or cardboard ring around its neck, and we can't get close enough to take it off."Evidently, one died last year from a ring around its neck."Emus are known to frequent the Nannup region. (Supplied: Daryl Barton)Calls for more emu security Mr Barton said the council needed to bolster security at the tip to prevent emus from getting inside.Nannup Shire President Tony Dean said the trespass of emus into the local landfill had been a consistent problem for a decade or more.Loading..."Unfortunately, there's a bit of a plague of them at this time of the year. They're searching for water and food, and they unfortunately get in," Mr Dean said."We do have fairly good fencing system there, but they cut through the front gate obviously when it's open."Mr Dean said the shire was searching for a solution to protect the emus from harm."I'm sure the CEO and the ranger are working on a solution at the moment because it's not a good look when you have wild or indigenous animals such as that stressed," he said.Nannup residents say emus are breaking into the tip. (Supplied: Daryl Barton)"Some of the photos I've seen with their necks in packages and so forth, it's not a good look, no, but unfortunately, it's the way things are."Though they are a perennial challenge, Mr Dean said the emu mobs had become embedded in the town culture."We've been dealing with this aspect of our culture for nearly a decade, because years ago it reared its neck again, you could say, and they used to come into town and actually be very aggressive towards townspeople," he said."You wouldn't believe it, but it got to one point here where we got some road trauma money, and we built a 3-metre-tall sculpture of an emu … because of the influence they've had."Posted 6m ago6 minutes agoMon 16 Feb 2026 at 10:30pmShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesSkilled workers are considering leaving the trades — and toilets are to blameTopic:Work