AS I SEE IT:

As I see it community attitudes towards dingoes are diverse and greatly affect management decisions. Dingoes were condemned from the earliest time of European settlement in Australia as vicious killers of livestock and a threat to the domestic animals raised by settlers. Ever since they have been unnecessarily persecuted! Opinions vary as to the pest status of dingoes. Some primary producers view them simply as an unwanted pest to be removed from the environment while other sections of society view them as wildlife to be conserved as far as possible.. Public opinion influences not only the type of management strategies that are developed, but also the type of control methods that may be deployed. Wider public attitudes rightly demand that the techniques used for dingo and wild dog control must be as humane as possible and expose non-target animals to minimal hazard. With the increased urbanisation of Australia and a growing awareness of environmental issues, other attitudes towards dingoes have emerged. The dingo is viewed by many and myself as an animal which has an important place in our ecosystems, and one which should be preserved as far as possible. Others believe that because a dingo-sized canid has been present in Australia long enough to have affected the biodiversity of the communities in which they occur, the removal of dingoes or wild dogs from these environments might have unforeseen impacts on biodiversity, and that some wild dogs should therefore be retained irrespective of their genetic status. Nor is there a common view about dingoes and other wild dogs amongst livestock producers. Sheep graziers would be unanimous in condemning the presence of a single dingo or wild dog near their flocks, whereas cattle producers tend to have a variety of opinions. Education is of utmost importance here.... Some cattlemen are ambivalent towards dogs. Another group recognise the potential role of dingoes in controlling macropod abundance and are prepared to experience some losses of calves in the belief that overall enterprise productivity is better where there is less potential competition for forage between cattle and macropods. Still others tolerate dingoes and other wild dogs until predation of calves becomes apparent and then institute a control program.... Traditional Aboriginal groups generally perceive dingoes and other wild dogs as a component of the natural landscape with a rightful place therein. Dingoes often feature in Aboriginal Dreaming and are therefore seen as part of the cultural heritage of Australia. These interest must be kept in mind when devising management programs for dingoes. In general, conflicts with the views of Aboriginal people rarely occur because of the alienation of traditional Aboriginal people from most of the grazing areas where control work is undertaken. However, where Aboriginal people maintain an ongoing affinity to these areas their concerns must be considered and included in the planning process... We have such a hard slog ahead to see the dingo protected in it's rightful position as our largest land predator for the health of our ecosystems and biodiversity!!!