A wildlife cull prompted by animal faeces on the greens of a suburban Tasmanian golf course has angered animal welfare advocates and some local residents.

Key points: Launceston Golf Club has approval to cull native species "causing damage"

Launceston Golf Club has approval to cull native species "causing damage" Wildlife rehabilitation carers and some local residents are against the move

Wildlife rehabilitation carers and some local residents are against the move The golf club has declined to comment

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) has granted the Launceston Golf Club a permit to cull species that have been "causing damage to the golf course", including ducks, possums, native hens and wallabies.

Launceston resident Sarah Bryan said she first heard of the cull after the golf club put letters in the mailboxes of homes near the green.

The letter informing residents of planned "population reduction" was dated April 29, but Ms Bryan said locals didn't receive them until May 1 — the day the cull was supposed to start.

The environment department said the club would have to comply with animal welfare requirements for the taking of wildlife. ( Supplied: Launceston Gold Club )

She said she called DPIPWE and the golf club straight away, and the club said it sought the permit because of animal poo on the green.

"I spoke with the General Manager at the Launceston Golf Club and he said the excrement on the greens was terrible," she said.

"I've walked through there many times and yes, there's a bit of poo here and there, but it's not to the point where it would be hampering people playing golf."

Ms Bryan believes many of the animals are coming from the adjacent Punchbowl Reserve into the golf course through some 20 holes in the fencing.

She has contacted members of Parliament in a bid to stop the cull.

"I've always loved animals and my dad always brought me up to love animals, and to look after them, so I'm really eager to help," she said.

Concerns for rare freckled duck

The decision to grant the permit has angered Tasmania's Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (TWRC), the peak body representing wildlife carers.

Wildlife carers say the cull won't work, because more animals will move into the area. ( ABC News: Tony Briscoe )

President Oma Rodger described the move as "unconscionable".

"Instead of examining ways of working with those species of wildlife, which are in habitat stress and are being reduced to smaller and smaller in peri-urban areas, they're opting for a cheap, quick, and least effective method of managing populations," she said.

"If they're worried about poo on the ground, they can just pick that up."

Ms Rodger said the cull wouldn't fix the problem in the long term because animals would move in and fill the gap in the landscape.

"The killing isn't going to control what they perceive is their problem, because they've got all these animals coming out of the bush to replace the ones they're killing off, so it's going to be a perpetual cycle."

Freckled ducks, Australia's rarest waterfowl, are known to frequent the Launceston Golf Club grounds. ( Supplied: Bird Life Tasmania )

Ms Rodger questioned the claim the area was overpopulated with wildlife.

"If the area was overpopulated, you'd have sick and dying animals everywhere, and that's not the case," she said.

"So overpopulation on what grounds? Have they done a proper scale survey on that?"

Ms Rodger also raised concerns about protected species in the area, and whether the company contracted to undertake the cull could tell the difference.

"People on that golf course have seen freckled ducks. Now, they're one of Australia's rarest waterfowl, so can the company they're using distinguish between the species? I think probably not."

Animal Liberation Tasmania spokesperson Kristy Alger said it was disappointing a permit had been issued for the cull.

"It is unacceptable to think that playing golf means more than an animal's life," she said.

"Native species are being killed to protect a golf course — that is intolerably cruel."

The golf club has a permit to cull species that have been "causing damage to the golf course," including native hens. ( Supplied: Bird Life Tasmania )

A DPIPWE spokesperson said the department acknowledged that browsing wildlife could have an impact on recreational facilities, such as parks or sporting grounds, if the population is significant.

The department said the golf club would have to comply with Tasmania's animal welfare requirements for the taking of wildlife, along with public safety and other relevant legislation or requirements.

The Launceston Golf Club declined to comment.