Stand With Us
Save The Briars Sanctuary
STOP THE PRESS!
~ ~
STOP THE PRESS! ~ ~
During an unscheduled Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting on Tuesday 13 February, the council voted unanimously to relocate the Harry Potter: Forbidden Forest Experience from the Wildlife Sanctuary to the Community Forest at The Briars.
Stay tuned for further details.
The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary is a safe haven for thousands of animals.
Protected wildlife and threatened species are being put at risk by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council's decision to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, Fever and IMG.
The Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience, with up to 3000 people a night, is to be held inside a fenced wildlife sanctuary for two to three months.
Stand with us to save the Briars Wildlife Sanctuary and the wildlife that call it home.
As concerned citizens and lovers of our local wildlife, we are deeply troubled by the decision of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to host the Warner Brothers’ and Fever Entertainment’s Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience at The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary. This venue is far from appropriate for such an event, as it goes against the ethos of this sanctuary's mission - to protect wildlife.
Statements of Support for Save Briars Sanctuary
Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation
Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation has been shocked to learn of the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s decision to host the Harry Potter event in the Wildlife Sanctuary at The Briars. Since learning of the decision, MPKC holds genuine concerns for the welfare of the animals that live within the Wildlife Sanctuary. The proposed nightly exposure to artificial lighting, noise and high increased foot traffic will undoubtedly cause them unnecessary stress and fear. For koalas, the continued exposure to these impacts over the duration of the event may result in stress-induced disease, causing significant illness, possibly resulting in death.
MPKC is aware of the many threats and pressures facing native wildlife on the Mornington Peninsula and actively works to minimise these. Part of which is advocating for the wildlife who do not otherwise have a voice. For this reason, MPKC fully opposes the Harry Potter event being held in the Wildlife Sanctuary at the Briars and urges Mornington Peninsula Shire to change the location.
Save Kangaroos on Mornington Peninsula
Save the Kangaroos on the Mornington Peninsula (SKOMP) is deeply saddened to learn of the decision made by Mornington Shire to allow the “Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience” to be held in The Briar’s wildlife sanctuary in 2024.
In 2023 the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (MPSC) had become a leading voice and a beacon of light in its action to stand up for the welfare of eastern grey kangaroos. They gained a lot of praise and good faith. On that basis the decision made in “Private” to grant this event and keep it a secret for four months demonstrates the deceit and disrespect they hold for our communities and the residents of the Mornington Peninsula who hold the environment and wildlife dear to their hearts.
Environment Victoria
Environment Victoria supports Save Briars Sanctuary in its aims to prevent inappropriate events from occurring inside the fenced sanctuary area of The Briars. Sanctuaries should be just that – areas for wildlife to thrive without the adverse effects of high volumes of visitors, artificial light and sound.
The Briars has had a long history of hosting wonderful community events – like the January 26 Our Survival Day celebrations – in an appropriate manner, outside the Sanctuary. We urge the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to admit a mistake has been made in this case and to relocate the event immediately.
Friends of the Earth
The Briars Sanctuary is a vital community asset, providing many services and opportunities for the local community. Large numbers of people visit the sanctuary and Council does an excellent job of working to balance visitation with protection of the environment. It is a hugely significant area of remnant habitat in an area that is experiencing continual urban growth. Allowing events with high volumes of visitors, artificial light and invasive sound is entirely inappropriate for a small Sanctuary like Briars. We urge Council to reconsider its decision and act immediately to relocate the event.
Victorian National Parks Association
The move by Mornington Peninsula Shire to place such a large, loud and disturbing event within the Briars Wildlife Sanctuary is both alarming and extremely disappointing.
The Sanctuary is critical habitat for a wide range of wildlife including wildlife threatened with extinction like Powerful Owls (Australia’s largest owl species), Swift Parrots and Growling Grass Frogs, to name just a few. We know that light and noise pollution impact our wildlife, disrupting their behaviour and causing health issues as well as nest abandonment. The Mornington Peninsula is on the Gippsland Plain bioregion, one of the most cleared and fragmented bioregions in Victoria. This makes the care and management of such an important area even more important, as local wildlife have very few places to go if they are driven from their homes.
This event should not happen in the Briars Wildlife Sanctuary. It should be moved to a more suitable area, away from threatened wildlife and their habitats.
Chris Crewther MP, Member for Mornington
Right event. Wrong location.
I don’t normally publicly comment on Mornington Peninsula Shire decisions. However, joining with so many people in our community and beyond, I’m calling on the Shire to move the Harry Potter event they’ve planned to hold at night within the wildlife sanctuary part of The Briars.
While residents and I are not opposed to a local Harry Potter event itself, which I'm sure will be a great, we are opposed to its location and operations within the wildlife sanctuary part of The Briars, where many native nocturnal and diurnal animals are based.
I urge the Shire to reconsider moving this event to another more suitable location within the Briars Ward that is not a wildlife sanctuary.
The Australian Greens - Mornington Peninsula Branch
The Greens Mornington Peninsula Branch are aghast at the decision by the Shire Council. We have two startling deviations from the Council’s duty of care:
This decision shows a lack of adherence by Council to commitments articulated in The Shires’ Policies on protecting flora and fauna and ecologically sensitive sites. This Event must be transferred to a different site to be in line with all the Shire’s Biodiversity and Conservation policies, and other documents related to environmentally sensitive sites, in particular, The Briars.
Most importantly, we have significant concerns around the lack of consultation and transparency, and the secrecy around contractual arrangements with Warner Bros. The Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) Councillors were asked to make during negotiations are an affront to residents. All but two councillors signed these and some information around the event is not on the record for residents to view.
Read the full statement from The Australian Greens - Mornington Peninsula Branch.
Animal Justice Party
In the heart of The Briars Wildlife Sanctuary, the Powerful Owl faces a new challenge. Hosting the 'Forbidden Forest Experience' in a wildlife sanctuary is at odds with the sanctuary's mission to protect local wildlife, including the Powerful Owl during its breeding season. This calls for a reconsideration of the sanctuary's core mission.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council's decision to proceed with the event, without public input and under confidentiality, brings up serious questions about transparency and community involvement.
The Animal Justice Party recognizes the event's economic benefits but suggests moving it to a less sensitive location, ensuring the balance of economic interests with ecological and social responsibility. This move would better reflect a commitment to preserving wildlife and upholding sustainable tourism practices, rather than prioritizing profit .
Animalia Wildlife Shelter
Animalia Wildlife Shelter, its committee and members condemn Mornington Peninsula Shire’s short-sighted decision to allow Warner Brothers Entertainment to hold such an intrusive event within the boundaries of the wildlife sanctuary. This shows the Mayor and Councillors complete lack of empathy toward animals and our wildlife, which have lived peacefully within the confines of the Sanctuary their entire life. To have loud noises, lights and sudden movement within the confines of the sanctuary will create an overload of adrenalin causing lactic acid build-up, which will cause severe capture myopathy resulting in death. There are many spaces around the Peninsula that council could utilise which are not inside a fenced wildlife sanctuary. We fail to see how this fits within the Shire’s Ecological and Environmental Protections Overlay - in actual fact it goes against it. Signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement before even knowing what it was and not undertaking due diligence with understanding the negative catastrophic consequences to the wildlife within the perimeter of the sanctuary smacks of pure greed.
Westernport and Peninsula Protection Council Inc
Westernport and Peninsula Protection Council Inc believes that The Harry Potter Event should be moved from inside the fenced wildlife sanctuary at The Briars. There has been a misunderstanding of the importance of the sanctuary, and therefore a reassessment of the agreement is needed. We expect that The Mornington Peninsula Shire and Warner Bros to undertake this re-assessment.
This fenced area has significant fauna that one day could be reintroduced to other parts of the region. The sanctuary is part of a biolink that one day may have fauna from this sanctuary. It is a place of great hope and ecological importance. A lot of money and passion has been spent on increasing the biodiversity of this area.
There are other areas even at The Briars, that would be more suitable for large groups of humans, noise and lights, but not in this wildlife sanctuary.
Living Culture
Lionel Lauch & Heidi Duell, founders of Living Culture strongly object to the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience being held in The Briars Sanctuary. A sanctuary by its definition is a safe space free from danger.
Living Culture are a respected Indigenous led Cultural engagement organisation based on Bunurong land on the Southern Mornington Peninsula who have and do work extensively with the Briars for over a decade.
This site is protects significant cultural & environmental locations and flora & fauna.
We are distressed a decision was made to hold this event at this site, and with the lack of communication & community consultation.
AWARE (Australian Wildlife Assistance Rescue & Education)
AWARE (Australian Wildlife Assistance Rescue & Education), have been rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife regionally since 2005. We support ‘Save the Briars Sanctuary’ stand that a wildlife sanctuary is an inappropriate location for the Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, Fever and IMG. Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience.
The lights, sounds, and smell of the special effects along with thousands of
people entering the fenced sanctuary will have a profound and lasting
detrimental impact on the wildlife we should be able to reasonably expect be protected in a ‘sanctuary’.
Read the full statement from AWARE here.