Moyne Shire’s local laws officers found eight fresh kills on Thursday at the popular tourist spot.

This followed the discovery of many more dead birds believed killed over the past two weeks.

Griffiths Island is home to a breeding colony of short-tailed shearwaters and is a no-dog zone.

Moyne Shire mayor Jim Doukas told The Standard it was believed dogs were not responsible for the bird deaths, despite reports of dog sightings on the island.

“The presence of wallabies within 20 metres of the fresh kills suggested foxes, not dogs, were responsible,” Cr Doukas said.

“Dogs will attack wallabies but foxes won’t if there’s easier food sources around. If there were any dogs in the area, those wallabies would have taken off.”

The shire’s health and regulatory services manager Robert Jehu said the shire would report the latest incidents to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), which is responsible for fox control.

Moyne shire staff had been monitoring the island throughout summer and Mr Jehu said those patrols would increase in the light of recent dog sightings on the island.

“Owners who take their dogs onto the island, or let them roam there, can be fined $240,” Mr Jehu said. “The council also has the legal authority to destroy any dogs or cats found on the island, so if you love your pet, do the right thing and keep them under control and off the island.”